Thank You
by AlaeaMori
Summary: Quincy-Shinigami fic post Winter War. While Aizen cozies up to corrupt Quincy Elders to start a greater war, Fate has targeted Rukia Kuchiki again & is toying with Ichigo Kurosaki. All hope lies with a small group of Quincy's, headed by Ulquiorra!
1. Prologue Quincy

**Thank You**

_**Prologue; 1**__**st**__** Part - Quincy**_

* * *

Dr. Ryūken Ishida drove steadily towards his destination, the music from the car stereo not registering to his busy mind. He was on a mission; make his submission to the Matsuyukisou Elders and to the Leader of all Quincy's, the Kissh ōten Head.

He was exhausted physically, for there had been a major accident the night before his departure, Isshin Kurosaki was maxed out, as well as his own staff forcing him to descend from his office to assist in the trauma area. He was exhausted mentally, for some time in fact, ever since the Kurosaki boy, Ichigo, had become a shinigami. At first, it was due to that female shinigami but then he had to go and make himself a shinigami when he lost those powers.

None of it would have been a concern to him if his son Uryuu had not gotten involved; initially there was no harm for his son had considered the boy an enemy. Of course, when Uryuu had decided to join that boy on a quest against Soul Society to save that same female shinigami he had put his foot down but to no avail. Uryuu had left with Ichigo Kurosaki, returning having saved the girl but without his Quincy powers.

It seemed like an easy solution back then; make him an offer to help regain his powers on the condition that he disassociated himself with that boy, but again to no avail. Uryuu regained his powers, but defied him once again. He had barely managed to keep the Matsuyukisou Council Elders from passing judgement and sending Quincy assassins into Karakura Town when the Bount incident occurred and once again, his own son, Uryuu, was in the midst of it all.

Encouraging Soul Society involvement into human affairs which was specifically the domain of the Matsuyukisou Clans to police over, was treasonous; a relationship of any kind – platonic, friendship or otherwise – with a shinigami was further treason, all of which Uryuu willingly committed.

Ryūken was an Ishida, of the Ishida clan, one of the very few clans outside of the Matsuyukisou Noble Clans to have survived from the Quincy-Shinigami war. It was only due to a past service by an Ishida Clan member to the Matsuyukisou that allowed him to seek and gain clemency for his son, therefore keeping the Matsuyukisou and their assassins at bay. The Matsuyukisou had promised to keep away from Karakura Town, and allow the situation to be sorted without their involvement, they willingly overlooked Uryuu's treasonous acts and further promised to keep out of Karakura Town in future situations unless called upon.

The time to be called upon was now, Ryūken had lost all patience; the situation had been building up slowly but surely, a situation that was excessively dangerous for his son and his other teenage friends. They may all have spiritual powers but they were still young, more importantly, they were _alive_ unlike the shinigami.

* * *

His conscious sparked awake to the surroundings; he slowed down the car his eyes alert, searching for the singular white blossom tree that would mark the hidden road that lead to the Matsuyukisou land. He spotted the tree; its tiny white blossoms a refreshing taste of color amidst the rows or evergreen trees and shrubs that lined the road. Slowing down completely he turned sharply into the shaded road; trees grew majestically tall oneither side, as if sentinels, stoic watchers standing guard as witnesses on his long ascent to address the Council Elders and Quincy Leader. The covered road wound itself slowly up the mountain face, in-between the trees he could catch glimpses of the beautiful valley below him.

He noted to himself that anyone in the valley looking upon the slowly ascended mountain face would never guess there to be a road upon it. The road was well hidden by the tall trees, and the large Matsuyukisou estate at the peak was further in, out of reach of any curious eyes from down in the valley.

Finally the end of the long shaded road came to view, turning he came to a familiar stretch of road framed on either side by white blossomed trees – the same kind that marked the turn into the private road. These trees in full pure white bloom appeared like royal guards in comparison to the trees that had lined the shaded road just before. Slowly he passed under the blossoming branches; the Matsuyukisou Manor in all its splendour coming to view, he stopped in front of the stone steps that lead to the huge double entrance doors, two Matsuyukisou Quincy's stood on the stairs awaiting him.

They descended the stairs as he got out of his car, leaving the key in the ignition; he bowed to them when he stood in front of them.

All Matsuyukisou members were descendents of the noble Quincy clans, and all Matsuyukisou Quincy's were trained Quincy assassins, skilled to carry out orders against Hollows, Shinigami, Humans, or fellow Quincy's.

They nodded to him in reply, the larger of the two walked past him and seated himself in the driver's seat of his car, he turned the ignition and drove off in his hired car.

"Welcome Ishida-sama" spoke the remaining Quincy; he was smaller than the other was and younger too. He had dark navy hair and blue-green Ocean colored eyes, he was reasonably tall and lean but still muscular, he looked to be in his early 20s no older than 23 or 24.

"Thank you, I owe much to the Matsuyukisou and am grateful for being granted an audience with the Council Elders and our great leader, Kisshōten-sama"

"You are welcome Ishida-sama. I am Ryuusei Fubuki; I believe I can speak for all and say that the Matsuyukisou will be forever grateful for the services fulfilled by the Ishida Clan during those trying years of old."

"You are too kind; forgive me for not knowing and addressing you properly Fubuki-sama" replied Ryūken, bowing low before the younger man. The Fubuki clan was the second noblest clan of the Quincy Nobles, if there was ever to be no heir in the Kisshōten clan the Fubuki clan Head would take the position as Quincy Leader. This young man was obviously the heir or head of the Fubuki clan, since he was obviously senior in rank to the larger Quincy that had seen to his car. If this man was just a younger brother or a cousin, there was no doubt to Ryūken that he would have instead be dealing with that other Quincy and this young man would have seen to his car. As it stood he was present before Lord Ryuusei Fubuki, second to the Quincy 'throne'.

The young man just gave a small smile in reply and led him up the stairs and through the large entrance doors; he followed him down the marbled hallway exiting out French-doors into a courtyard. At the centre of the courtyard there was the same kind of white blossomed tree as before, beneath the tree stood the Quincy Leader, Kisshōten-sama.

"Kisshōten-sama wished to speak with you in private before the formal appointment" spoke Ryuusei Fubuki, nodding to Ry ūken before returning the way they came.

Ryūken made his way slowly to the Quincy Leader, self-conscious of this private audience with the Quincy royal.

"Kisshōten-sama; RyūkenIshida, your humble servant" he spoke when he stopped behind the Quincy leader, bowing low and keeping his head down until summoned.

"Dr. Ishida, you have returned. I could hazard a most intelligent guess as to what brings you here today to address my council and myself…this concerns your son and his other friends am I correct."

"Indeed Kisshōten-sama" he replied, raising himself up and nodding

"I suppose this also includes that shinigami boy, that Kurosaki!"

"Yes, Chad Yasutora and Orihime Inoue are the remaining company that my visit before you concerns"

He was answered with a nod, the Kisshōten leader looked away from him, back to the white blossoms upon the tree's branches; a long pause followed before those piercing emerald eyes returned to rest upon him.

"Are you aware Dr. Ishida that this land here is not the only land owned by the Matsuyukisou, this land here was only purchased in the early days of my grandfather's rule. Are you aware of the true Matsuyukisou Clan lands?"

"Yes, I know of the true land and its location Kisshōten-sama" he answered

"Then you would also be aware of the tale attached to that land, of the barrier surrounding its entirety, protecting it from outsiders."

"Yes, my father told me of the tale that brought about that barrier. Only Quincy's can pass through and thus reside in the lands; no Shinigami, Hollows or Humans can enter."

"Aye, that is indeed what has been told, but the truth of the barrier is that it only allows whom it deems worthy to protect. Naturally Quincy's have always been able to pass through the barrier wall but that is not to say that a non-Quincy cannot enter, for it is very much possible for such an occurrence."

Ryūken confused at the relevance of the information to his own cause remained quiet and was answered with a smile "As you are aware I am an only child, every Kisshōten since the Quincy War has been an only child. The man who led you here was Lord Ryuusei Fubuki, Head of the noble Fubuki Clan; in the absence of a Kisshōten heir the Fubuki Head will arise as the new Quincy Leader. However, 2months ago a young man – no older than Ryuusei – was found in the Matsuyukisou lands, I soon after adopted him as my younger brother."

Kisshōten now had a sibling, therefore cutting off the Fubuki Head and pushing him to 3rd in line; Ryūken was uncertain as to why he was being informed this. Was the Fubuki clan aware, was there a possible 'civil' war looming, and was this Kisshōten-sama's way of asking him where the Ishida loyalty truly lay, and what of this young man? It was unusual that an outsider be adopted into a noble clan, even more so into the royal Kisshōten clan; obviously there was something about him.

"Congratulations are in order I believe, Kissh ōten-sama, for your brother"

"Indeed Dr. Ishida, and it is my brother where lies something interesting. As I've already said he was found in the Matsuyukisou lands, he had managed to enter through the barrier"

"He must possess great spiritual power for a human, to have entered into the land"

"Aha! There, you see. You have assumed that he is human!" Kissh ōten-sama replied in excitement

"Not human! So he is a Shinigami then?" However, before he was given his answer, Fubuki-sama returned to announce that the Council Elders had assembled and Ryūken Ishida's appeal before them all was to begin. Kissh ōten replied with a nod, and returned inside the Manor, Ryūken following solemnly behind, regardless of the Ishida Clan's standings with the Matsuyukisou, Uryuu's life was still at risk of being renamed a traitor.

* * *

**  
**Ryūken waited outside, entering when called, he seated himself on the singular oak chair the faced Kisshōten-sama, the Council Elders and the Royal Matsuyukisou Quincy assassin-guards. Like his previous visit, a servant presented him before Kisshōten-sama, the 8 Matsuyukisou Council Elders and the Matsuyukisou Quincy assassins. The Matsuyukisou Quincy's dressed in the traditional apparel; white boxing-like shoes, white baggy genie-like pants, and a white gothic-hooded jacket with long tailcoats lined with silver, there were also two silver lines down the middle hiding the inner zip at the front. The apparel's design was such that it kept the gender and identity of the Quincy ambiguous; there could be female Matsuyukisou Quincy's but it was impossible to tell with the garment worn. Kisshōten-sama and the Elders were the only faces that could be seen, the Quincy assassins always wore their hoods up during summons and missions.

The arrangement, he noted was different; for instead of 10 Matsuyukisou Quincy's that had been present at his previous appeal, there was now 11, for unlike before there was now 2 Quincy's sitting on either side of Kisshōten-sama. Though hooded, he recognised that Fubuki-sama sat at Kisshōten-sama's left, for the Quincy that seated to the right was obviously shorter than Fubuki-sama's height if he were to stand. Obviously, the Quincy on Kissh ōten-sama's right was the new brother, the adopted Kissh ōten, which made sense since now Fubuki-sama was 3rd in line. The Council Elders sat on either side of Kisshōten-sama after Fubuki-sama and Kisshōten-kun, behind them all stood the remaining nine Matsuyukisou Quincy's. Ryūken recognized one of the hooded Quincy's by his build and height, as the one that had seen to his car.

"Let us begin; state your purpose Dr. Ryūken Ishida, Head of the Ishida Clan" spoke Kisshōten-sama

"I have come to request for the involvement of the Matsuyukisou into the affairs in Karakura Town. As you are no doubt aware, last winter Soul Society waged war against the shinigami traitor, a former captain, Sosuke Aizen. He, along with fellow traitors Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen –former-captains of the Gotei-13 – survived and escaped. The Hōgyoku, created by Kisuke Urahara – another former Gotei-13 captain – is still within the hands of Aizen, though its power has weakened. My son, Uryuu along with the shinigami-human Ichigo Kurosaki, and the uniquely spiritually powerful Sado Yasutora, had travelled to the world of the Hollows, Hueco Mundo, to retrieve another uniquely spiritually powerful human, Orihime Inoue, from Aizen. They achieved their objective and returned to our world to assist the Gotei-13 in the fight against Aizen and his army of hollows, modified with the use of the Hōgyoku to gain shinigami powers. Most of Aizen's Espada, Arrancars – hollows with shinigami powers, were killed in the war as well as the remaining of his army. However, the Gotei-13 failed to put an end to this affair, Aizen and his valuable associates are still at large, and still possess the means to create another army. I humbly request for full involvement of the Matsuyukisou to ratify the Aizen situation."

The Council was quiet, it was protocol for the Kisshōten head to have the first word; silence reigned for what seemed like eternity until finally it was broken. "You do realise, Dr. Ishida that you are placing your own son at risk by coming here insisting upon our involvement. Your last appeal was to save your son, and keep us away from involving ourselves into those affairs, such affairs that are our right and duty to address. Our last agreement consisted of overlooking your son's blatant acts of treason and keeping out of Karakura Town, until called upon. We, however, where of the mindset that you would have taken control of your son's actions or at the very least guided him in such a way that he could fulfil his Quincy duties without associating himself with that human-shinigami boy, but it seems you have failed in that regard."

Ryūken Ishida bowed his head to hide the conflicting emotions that arose, anger, sadness, frustration, humiliation, all played across his features; he exhaled deeply calming his nerves before returning his attention to the Quincy Leader.

Kisshōten-sama, seeing that Ryūken had composed himself, continued "We have kept ourselves aware of all the events that have come to pass in Karakura Town since the Kurosaki boy become a shinigami, we are also aware of all the events that have occurred in Hueco Mundo and Soul Society centering around Kurosaki Ichigo and your own son Uryuu Ishida. However, due to our previous understanding, and the debt the Matsuyukisou owe to the Ishida clan, we spared your son and kept away, hopeful that our involvement would never be called upon. From our own reports, and your own information, such hope was in vain." All was quiet again, deathly quiet.

"Hmm…leave us…all of you! The Council and myself will discuss this privately, there will be no negotiations" Kisshōten-sama clarified before he could interrupt; "we will discuss this affair and decide the course of action."

There was no avoiding it, he had to leave and pray that his son would be spared, but of course even if Uryuu was not spared that would not mean he would accept such a fate for his son, if appeals failed, he would turn to his bow. Ryūken stood up and bowed low to the Council Elders and Kisshōten-sama, and left the room along with the Matsuyukisou Quincy's; even Kisshōten-kun and Fubuki-sama stood to leave with the other Quincy's.

* * *

**  
**Ryūken made his way to the courtyard, and began pacing under the white blossomed tree, he looked up at the snowy petals hoping to find peace in its beauty but instead it furthered his discomfort, over an hour passed.

"Either way your request will result in death, Ishida; quite against your nature as a doctor in fact" spoke Fubuki-sama approaching him, his hood down, revealing his youthful face but old eyes. Eyes that knew death, death of a hollow, a human, a shinigami, this was a young man but a grown warrior. "Are you ready for that, Ishida? Are you ready for death…for war? Because, either way, they will be the result of this tête-à-tête"

"I have no choice in the matter, my son is in danger"

"Yes, and on both sides, I suppose he is unaware that you are here. Does he even know of the Matsuyukisou? You have never been a patriotic Quincy!"

"He only knows of the Matsuyukisou from the old tales centred on the Quincy War, he is not aware that the council still exists till today. Though I may have been lax in my duties as a Quincy I have never been lax in my training,"

Fubuki-sama smiled in reply, understanding the underlying meaning behind such an answer.

"Hmm, I've never doubted your skill as a Quincy…tell me though, has your son discovered his bow's name yet? Is he even aware of such? Forgive me for implying, but you seem to be a poor father in terms of teaching him about all things Quincy. Since your own father's death you have shielded him from the truth, most of his life he was even unaware that you yourself had Quincy powers. What do you hope to achieve from this, even with favourable involvement, what do you plan on telling your son once this is finished, will you help him achieve his own bankai?"

"There is a life beyond this" he gestured widely to the beautiful grounds of the courtyard, and the Manor at large, "I am proof enough as a doctor, a successful doctor running my own hospital."

"That is true, but there is a life _within_ this! Though not a noble, the Ishida clan has been considered in high regard for decades now, Uryuu would be accepted if he wished to join our ranks as a Quincy for the Matsuyukisou. He only needs further training"

"If the highest form of _this_ life would mean allowing my son to become an assassin, then I'd rather he end up as a janitor" he sighed and stopped pacing, his hand rubbing the back of his neck absently, "Forgive me, but he is my son, he is so young, too young to know death. He is just a child, who are we to deny him of his youth; I want him to have his youth, I want him to allow himself to experience youth before it is lost to him like it is lost to us all eventually upon coming to age."

Fubuki-sama smiled sadly, "He is lucky then to have such a father. Elder Yue has forever been saying that it is only among the very young and very old, that youth is admired. I pray that the final decision is in your favour"

"Thank you, Fubuki-sama."

* * *

**  
**They stood in companionable silence under the blossoming three, until the silence was interrupted. A Quincy crossed through the courtyard, heading for the doors on the other side that led to the private quarters; his hood still hiding his face. Then two Quincy's stumbled quickly out of the door he had just come, following him, they shrugged off their hoods revealing that they were twins. The twins looked even younger than Fubuki-sama; they had short messy coppery hair, fair skin and mischievous hazel eyes.

"Oi! Ulquiorra, wait up man, what's the rush aye?" called one of the twins, as they walked swiftly after him, but the other had either not heard or refused to, he reached the other side of the courtyard and quickly entered through the doors, disappearing into the Manor.

'_Ulkiorra…elquiora? Why does that sound familiar? Derived from Spanish maybe, "El hombre que llora" – The man who cries?!" A former patient maybe?' _thought Ryūken; it was nagging at his brain, the name sound vaguely familiar.

"Sheesh, for an emo dude he sure has his mood swings" replied the other twin as they stopped not far from where he and Fubuki-sama stood at the tree. Finally noticing the two, the twins strode up to them; "Hey there Ryuu…Ishida" they both spoke, "Name's Sazanami Uzume, or Saz" addressing Ryūken

"And I'm Isunami, but call me Isu, everyone does"

"Wait 'til you hear the decision"

"They're finishing up right about now"

"Should be out in a mo"

"You guys were listening in?!" Fubuki-sama stated more than questioned, not in the least surprised and with no hint of anger at such disrespect

"Yep, kind of had no real choice in that matter" answered Isu

"Couldn't leave Iorra to his own devices"

"Guy was eavesdropping first"

"We just saw it in our heart to assist him"

"Yea, you know, just in case his hearing might momentarily fade"

"And with no voice recorder in hand, we lent our ears to the task"

"Being the good Quincy's that we are"

"Always willing to assist our fellow man and all" they said in unison, smiling cheekily, their eyes were glinting in the sunlight.

They all turned towards the noise of a door opening, Kisshōten-sama came into the courtyard heading straight for them.

"Kisshōten-sama" they all spoke, bowing low, and were answered with a small nod and tired smile.

"Kuroshio has retrieved your car; it is parked outside at the entrance. Be at ease Dr. Ishida, your son will not be harmed, clemency in regards to Uryuu Ishida and his fraternising with the shinigami still stands. You can return to Karakura Town, my men and I will follow in 3days once arrangements have been finalised."

Ryūken's relief was short-lived; it was one thing for the Matsuyukisou Quincy's to be sent, it was something else entirely if Kisshōten-sama was amongst them. Kisshōten-sama was the most powerful Quincy, as expected from a Quincy leader; it would take the maximum power of all the Council Elders to be able to contend against Kisshōten-sama. Though Uryuu was safe it did not bade well that Kisshōten-sama would be a part of the Matsuyukisou party that would address the situation.

Ryūken was not the only one startled, even Fubuki-sama stuttered, "You're, you're coming too?!" he exclaimed, surprised and weary of such a revelation.

"Yes" came the only answer, "where is my brother?"

"Quiki's probably in his private quarters by now!" answered the twins; they were met with a questioning brow, a signal to explain further

"Head-ache" "Emotional-overload" Both twins answered in unison, they locked eyes in annoyance at the others answer, until rectifying and both answering "He got a headache from emotional-overload"

"The guy cracked half a smirk"

"And a quirked brow"

"Emotional-overload" they diagnosed in unison, nodding in a show of sympathy

"So he's resting his headache"

"In his room, like we suggested"

"Being the considerate Quincy's that we are"

Fubuki-sama rolled his eyes, shaking his had gently while chuckling, quite at ease with the twins' ways, but the seriousness of the situation sobered him quickly. Ryūken looked grave, his brows furrowed.

"You needn't worry about your son's friends, Dr Ishida. Ichigo Kurosaki, Sado Yasutora, Orihime Inoue and all other spiritually aware humans affected – yourself included – are safe and under the full protection of the Matsuyukisou" Kisshōten-sama answered, noticing his grave expression.

Relief washed over him like a wave, he let go of his breath he had not realised he was holding. Kisshōten-sama walked passed them all, heading in the direction of the doors that would lead to the hallway to the private quarters.

"I do not understand though" Fubuki-sama turned around as he called after, _'what…'_

Kisshōten-sama halted halfway through the door, before responding, "Rukia Kuchiki must die"

'…_is our mission'  
_

* * *

**  
AN; so that's the first part, the next part will be upload in a couple of days, maybe even tomorrow if i have time.**

**Reviews are sooo appreciated**

**til next time  
**


	2. Prologue Shinigami

**Thank You**

_**Prologue; 2**__**nd**__** Part - Shinigami**_

* * *

**  
**Byakuya Kuchiki glided into the Captains' meeting room (such was the skill of his shunpo). He was on edge; Rukia had been assigned back to Karakura Town 2weeks ago working alongside the Visoreds to handle the remains of Aizen's army. His Espada had been defeated in the war; the only deaths not verified were that of the Cuatro and Sexta Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer and Grimmjaw Jaegerjacques. Although Ichigo Kurosaki and Orihime Inoue witnessed Ulquiorra's supposed 'death,' no official members of the Gotei 13 had been present, therefore the Soutaicho thought it prudent to still consider him at large.

It had been a little over two months since the Winter War had ended, since Aizen, Gin and Tosen had managed to escape from their clutches with the Hogyoku; during that time, Karakura town had been restored, and the damage done to one of the area's had all but finished. Soul Society however, was still a buzz; those that were injured, which included many of the Captain's to some degree, were now fully recovered, but heavy training for the next confrontation was underway in all squads. Even 4th division members were further training to improve their kido and zanjutsu skills. What's more, a major flux of energy, the first recorded and too rapid a burst to identify properly was detected just over 2weeks after the Winter War ended; its location was far north of Karakura Town. That had been a one off occurrence until 3weeks ago when strange fluxes of spiritual pressure had since been detected occasionally but instead was localised throughout Karakura town and close neighbouring areas. The Visoreds had been kept informed and Rukia Kuchiki was soon after dispatched to Karakura Town to assist; but lately the strange fluxes had been occurring more frequently and still had not been identified, and so this Meeting of Captains was called.

Kira Izuru, Momo Hinamori, and Shuuhei Hisagi were also present for the meeting, each representing their squad. New Captains for their squads had still not been assigned, and none of them had achieved bankai yet, and so as Lieutenants they were charged as temporary captains until proper assignments could be made.

* * *

"As you are all aware; the rapid spikes of strange spiritual pressure have been occurring more frequently as of late. Our allies and Miss Kuchiki, stationed in the Living world, and our own means here in Soul Society by the use of the Onmitsukido and the Science and Research Bureau, have not yet identified the source or identity of such rapid bursts" spoke the Sotaichou

"Surely we have some idea as to whether it's a physical source, something like the Hogyoku, or an actual spiritual being. Is it possible that it's a hollow, or if Aizen's already creating his own Army again" questioned Hitsugaya-taichou

"The bursts could very well mean the births of Aizen's new minions, if so…considering the number of bursts detected and using the strength of his previous Espada army as a basis, he already has a formidable army that could easily contend against Soul Society and possibly win" answered Shunsui Kyoraku, captain of the 8th Division.

"It would explain the lack of hollows!" Kurotsuchi-taichou said aloud

"I have read the reports, the Hollow occurrences in and around Karakura Town have not decreased or otherwise since after the war" replied Hitsugaya-taichou

"That is true, but they have been disappearing just as soon as they appear. Even with the Visoreds, the assigned shinigami, chibi-Kuchiki and those humans all working to dispel them, they would not have such success as to leave the town literally hollow-less. There is also the lack of souls needing cleansing that the report did not account," responded Kurotsuchi

"Then it's safe to say that we're dealing with a very powerful enemy; these bursts must account for some sort of beings that have been devouring the hollows appearing as well as the souls"

"Aye, but we must not be too quick to judge Hitsugaya-taichou. These may be due to an enemy or a potential ally. If an enemy then we cannot just assume it is Aizen, or anyone we know of. The possibility that this may be due to a new enemy is too great; therefore, we must tread with caution" spoke Yamamoto-Genryusai, his sombre voice reverberating throughout the room, "Which is why I will be assigning two Captains to Karakura Town to assist in the investigation for an undisclosed amount of time. Soi-Fon will go her skills and the command of the Onmitsukido lie with her. One place is left, are there any volunteers; bare in mind the length of the assignment is indefinite until the source is uncovered or other instances would demand your return."

"I will go" "Count me in" Hitsugaya-taichou and Zaraki-taichou spoke in unison. Zaraki cocked his head smirking evilly to the smaller and younger man, Hitsugaya merely returning with an icy glare.

"I will go" the calm determined voice of Byakuya Kuchiki, echoed in the meeting room, ending the glaring battle between the two other taichou's.

Hitsugaya looked to the noble man that he respected, understanding his passive gaze; he turned his attention to the Sotaichou, "I retract. I cannot afford to leave for such an unknown amount of time, especially with leaving paper work in the hands of my Lieutenant. I leave it to Kuchiki-taichou and…Zaraki to decide between them both."

"Humph…if you think I'm going to budge Kuchiki, then you're more than Dead Wrong on that account"

Byakuya replied calmly and coldly, "Only two are assigned to go, Soi-Fon is guaranteed one spot,"

"And I'm sure as hell claiming the other spot, whoever or whatever this enemy is I'm looking damn forward to fighting it" interrupted Zaraki

"Only two…therefore your Lieutenant cannot accompany you. Are you willing to leave her, unknown as to how long you would been gone for?" the question posed, he gazed fixedly at Zaraki, forcing the man to push through his arrogance and think about what he asked

"ARGH!!!!!!!!! DAMN IT! Fine…but the moment you find out who or what is behind it all, you better send me word **first** Kuchiki, otherwise I'll be beating _your_ arse first and foremost, before _**any**_ enemy, Aizen included!" and with that outburst he stormed out of the meeting room, seeing no other purpose to stay.

Yamamoto-Genryusai then broke the silence by announcing, "It is decided then, Captain Kuchiki and Captain Soi-Fon will depart this evening for the Living World, you have until dusk to organise your squads. Kurotsuchi you will pass word onto Urahara and the Visoreds of their arrival for later today" his attention then turned back to Soi-Fon and Byakuya. "You will work with the Visoreds, as well as Yoruichi and Urahara. Urahara leads this investigation, and you will report all findings to him as well as to me. Urahara will assign the scouting times for you, at the end of each expedition, you will write a report; at the end of each week, the reports will be compiled and a copy sent here for the perusal of the Captains, including Lieutenants Kira, Hinamori, and Hisagi. Contact with Soul Society will remain on a weekly basis, unless something demands immediate attention."

"What of the humans?" asked Komamura-taichou

"They will not be involved in any way in this investigation, they however can be kept informed to whatever Urahara himself deems necessary. Rukia Kuchiki's involvement will be scaled down; she will only assist in observing affects, if any, on the human population. She still holds her role as a high school and will therefore observe for any affects it might have upon the student population, since there are more spiritually aware students than previously thought."

Byakuya inwardly smiled, glad that Rukia would be out of any immediate and possible danger that this investigation might uncover, he knew the Sotaichou's decision regarding Rukia was made with Byakuya in mind. It would save him trouble after all by keeping Rukia out of danger, than to wait for Byakuya to pull strings to have it done himself.

"May I ask? Does this mean we are considering that first burst of energy and those that have been occurring just in the last three weeks as one occurrence? The difference in time and location should point otherwise, should it not?" queried the sickly Captain of the 13th division, Ukitake-taichou

"Actually we have reason now to believe that the two incidences are unrelated. That first occurrence took place far off north of Karakura, in an unpopulated area of land in the midst of a large dense forest; there is not a human for at least 5000 square miles," Kurotsuchi answered

"How exactly is this unrelated, shouldn't we investigate that area as well?" Ukitake replied

"Better yet, where exactly did it occur? The report only stated that it is _'far off north of Karakura'_ like you have stated. There's no clear indication as to its _exact_ location, it could very well be Aizen's new base." Hitsugaya pointed out

"Not in the least bit likely. Aizen would not make base there, for he cannot enter that place, nor can we…it is the Matsuyukisou land" he spoke directly to Ukitake, totally ignoring the young captain. All the Captains, except for the three Lieutenants and Hitsugaya, stood silent in shock

Hitsugaya scowled, "Matsuyukisou, and who are they that we cannot enter into their land…maybe they are responsible for the occurrences lately in and around Karakura Town"

"They are before your time, Shiro-chan," answered Ukitake, "The Matsuyukisou is the name applied to the eight noble Quincy clans. You may have all read during your studies in the Shinigami Academy" he spoke addressing the confused four, "of a shinigami named Mika Kyouya, the former Lieutenant to Squad 6"

"The traitor that fell in love with a Quincy during the time of the Quincy-Shinigami war," Hisagi responded

"Yes, but it was not just any Quincy that she fell in love with, it was a Kisshoten; the Kisshoten heir in fact."

"Kisshoten?"

"They are the noblest clan amongst the eight and the Head of the Kisshoten clan is considered the Leader or King of all Quincy's" replied Ukitake

"Indeed. The particulars of that matter were never fully disclosed in your readings in the academy, instead the mere basics was only told to remind shinigami's of their place and that such a relationship can never exist between a shinigami and a living being" spoke Soi-Fon

"His name was Byakuren Kisshoten" spoke Kyoraku suddenly, "His best friend since childhood was a fellow nobleman, Tsukiyo Uhyou. It was Tsukiyo who was responsible for rallying many Quincy clans to hunt down and eradicate Hollows, after his wife who was pregnant at the time was killed by one."

"So this Tsukiyo was pretty much responsible for the war then" interrupted Hitsugaya

"Yes and no; the Matsuyukisou you see govern over spiritual occurrences in the Living World, they are like the Gotei 13 version for the Quincy's" Kyoraku answered

"Yes, but when Tsukiyo's movement started to get out of hand, instead of acting upon it which was Kisshoten's responsibility and duty, he turned a blind eye to his friends vengeful plight, which in turn resulted in Soul Society's involvement in the matter by killing Quincy's." said Ukitake

"Amidst the war, Mika and the Kisshoten heir fell in love" continued Kyoraku

"In the end, their love resulted in the end of their lives as well as the end of the war" finished Ukitake sadly

"You mean they were killed?" queried Lt. Hinamori, her eyes shining with sorrow for such an end to their love affair

"No...Byakuren Kisshoten sacrificed himself when the Matsuyukisou land was attacked, he died creating a barrier spanning the entire 500hectares that prevents the entry of both shinigami, hollows and humans from passing through, only Quincy's can come and go as they please" answered Ukitake sighing deeply. The four waited for him to continue, to explain what had become of the former 6th Division Lieutenant, the other captains however were all well aware of the tale.

"Mika died in childbirth" spoke Kyoraku breaking the silence and finishing the sentence that Ukitake was unable to relate

"Child…childbirth?!" spluttered Kira, Hisagi and Hitsugaya in unison

"Yes, she returned to him when she discovered that there was an order that the Matsuyukisou would be attacked," replied Kyoraku

"Aided by your Lieutenant, Ukitake!" spat Soi-Fon, indifferent to the tale, as any traitor to Soul Society was filth in her eyes. Ukitake merely sighed at her remark.

"Kaien? Kaien helped her?" exclaimed Hisagi

"No," answered Ukitake, "my Lieutenant before Kaien…Akira Tomoya. He and Mika had always been good friends since the academy, shortly after they returned from their assignment in the war they married and soon announced she was pregnant. We had all assumed he was the father, but when they had both disappeared after the announcement at the Captains meeting and were found out to have escaped to the Living World, to the Matsuyukisou, they were both immediately declared as traitors."

"Captain Ginrei Kuchiki of Squad 6 and the former 11th Squad Captain, Jigo Ikazuchi and their respective squad members led the assault on the Matsuyukisou, whilst Mika was within the Kisshoten Manor giving birth"

"It would not have been the 11th Squad, if your own squad had not feigned a massive illness" she glared at Ukitake

"It was a nasty bug that got around my squad, you cannot blame mere chance" replied Ukitake in a fabulous display of innocence. Soi-Fon merely "Tsch'd!" in response

"So the Quincy Kisshoten died protecting her and his own people, and she died in childbirth, and Tomoya…did he die as well?" Hinamori queried, breaking Soi-Fon's glaring competition against Ukitake's display of innocence

"It is believed that he died battling to hold up the Matsuyukisou border against 6th and 11th Squad. Captain Ikazuchi reported that he fought against Tomoya and injured him severely before the barrier was placed up preventing further assault. The Quincy's then took him further in, to their medical bay. For all we know, Tomoya could have survived, it was and is still impossible to tell since spiritual pressure cannot be detected within the barrier"

"Then how is it that a burst of reiatsu was detected from that area then, if the barrier blocks out all detection from outside its walls?"

"The burst of reiatsu occurred exactly on the borderline of the barrier. Kurotsuchi and Lieutenant Nemu were dispatched immediately to the area to ascertain the cause or if possible to speak with any surviving Matsuyukisou" spoke the Sotaichou, finally contributing to the meetings conversation

"We found a burnt circular area with a diameter of about 8meters; the barrier ran directly through the centre of the circle leaving half within the Matsuyukisou grounds and the other half outside. Samples taken showed the scorched ground was due to immense spiritual pressure but further tests have been unable to ascertain what or who was the cause. As for surviving Quincy's in the land, none at the time came to the border to acknowledge our arrival," answered Kurotsuchi. "Since the reiatsu flares in and around Karakura Town are all missing this circular scorch mark, and with the difference in location and time, we have surmised it to be unrelated to the current occurrences"

"What do the Quincy's say of it though? Surely we have some means of contacting the Matsuyukisou?" Komamura questioned

Kurotsuchi sneered at the mention of speaking with the Matsuyukisou as Yamamoto answered, "I journeyed there myself just a day after the occurrence and spoke with an Elder, they believe it to be a young group of Quincy's testing the strength of the barrier, though they did not know for sure and were investigating the matter. It has recently been cleared up and they've identified that it was indeed by a young group of Quincy's, that is why the matter had not been clarified to you all, until I heard the final word of their own investigation"

"Tsch!" snarled Kurotsuchi

"It is however the belief of Captain Kurotsuchi, that the Elder was lying, and the findings of their 'investigation' is a sham" continued Yamamoto

"Oh? What is your basis for such an assumption, Mayuri?" asked Kyoraku jovially

"Do you honestly believe that a mere group of Quincy's could have caused such a rapid flare whilst leaving no signature upon the scorched earth!" he spat back at Kyoraku

"It could have been a reaction caused by the barrier. That barrier alone is an enigma; that it can repel the entrance of shinigami, hollows and even humans is a wonder, that it can actually identify the spiritual signature of a Quincy is another marvel in itself. Soul Society for many years has been trying to replicate such, you yourself amongst them" replied Kyoraku

"Their investigation was completed just 3days before the sudden bursts in and around Karakura Town, do you suppose then that that is mere coincidence" replied Kurotsuchi his voice thick with cynicism

"If they are keeping something from us" spoke Hitsugaya, scratching his head absentmindedly,

"If! If!" cried Kurotsuchi, "There's no _if_ about it, they are keeping the truth from us, and hiding whatever culprit is responsible for the full flare!" he cried out wildly to them all

"Regardless Mayuri!" spoke the Sotaichou firmly, "We cannot demand the truth from them; for now, we will leave them to whatever devices they are playing at, and focus our attention on Karakura Town, as well as keeping an eye out for any movement from Aizen."

"But these Quincy's Sotaichou!" explained Kira, "What's to say that they have not joined with Aizen?!"

"That is a great possibility that we can only hope is not reality. The Matsuyukisou have kept to themselves since the war, it is not even known by us if the baby of the Quincy, Kisshoten and Lt. Mika Kyouya survived the birth; but the issue still stands, we cannot enter their land so must wait for their first move. Whilst we wait, we will address the occurrences in Karakura and try to ascertain where we stand against Aizen, and if so, against them." He held the gazes of all, transmitting with his eyes the gravity of their situation. They were only sure of one enemy, Aizen, but there was a great possibility of others. Finally withdrawing his steadfast gaze, he spoke solemnly, "That is all; you are all dismissed. Kuchiki, Soi-Fon, attend to your squads and then be at the Senkaimon by dusk"

* * *

"Welcome to my humble abode, Byakuya, Soi-Fon" pronounced Urahara, bowing extravagantly to them as he ushered them into his Shoten. Soi-Fon glared at him, to which he ignored and continued to beam widely at her and Byakuya; Byakuya gave him a cold stare as they sat themselves down on the low cushions whilst he poured them each a cup of tea. "Forgive the tea" he spoke idly, "Tessai is out in the scouting party, relieving Rukia since she is required here"

"And where is my sister?!" Byakuya intoned, addressing Urahara and Yoruichi as they sat themselves opposite of himself and Soi-Fon

"She and the humans will be here soon enough; but for now let us sort out this business of ours. First things first though, accommodation; my humble abode is not large enough to house you both as well, so I have arranged with Orihime Inoue that you" his gaze fixed on Byakuya. "will reside with her, I informed her earlier on today when the Mayuri first gave me word of your coming, so she has been spending the day helping Rukia settle into her place as well. Since naturally you would want your sister nearby, and the Kurosaki household is not large enough to accommodate you as well. With that settled, Soi-Fon is free to reside here." Soi-Fon beamed at that arrangement, glad to be close to Yoruichi, Byakuya merely nodded his approval.

"Now onto business; since Mayuri called to inform us, I was able to pass on our reports from this week. The Captains, and the Lieutenants of Squad's 3, 5 and 9 would be perusing it this moment." He paused and ushered a timid looking girl to his side, "fetch two reports from this weeks excursions for Captain Kuchiki and Soi-Fon" she bowed in accordance and left the room quietly, returning shortly with two thick folders. Urahara tossed the folders in front of the two before continuing, "In short, the reports announce the increase of the occurrences of short bursts of reiatsu in and around Karakura Town. The time and location constantly varies, there is no pattern that can be determined; however, lately due to the increase in frequency we have been able to determine that _**most**_ bursts have been occurring mere seconds after the appearance of a hollow."

"The hollow is destroyed so quickly after appearing that even the soul pager does not pick up the appearance of the hollow; which is why initially we were unable to decipher any pattern" spoke Yoruichi

"Then there is hope to trap what or whoever is responsible for the rapid bursts," stated Byakuya

"Indeed, we came to the same conclusion the moment we discovered the link. Setting the trap is easy enough; we captured a hollow from way outside the area setting it free in the park and waited. I, Yoruichi and all the Visoreds were present hiding, we suppressed our reiatsu so it was not detectable but nothing happened; eventually we had to intervene when some drunks stumbled into the park and were nearly attacked by the hollow."

"It is obviously a who, that we are dealing with, something with enough reason to realise it was a trap" surmised Soi-Fon

"The drunks though, did you look into them, they may be responsible. We have reason to believe the Matsuyukisou is keeping us in the dark, regarding the first occurrence, this could be related" Byakuya intoned

"Yes, Mayuri informed me of his 'presumption' regarding the findings of the Matsuyukisou investigation, but nothing can be done about that, I've studied that barrier myself there is no way through it for the likes of us. As for those drunks, just young men, we kept them here overnight but could find nothing suspicious about them; their spiritual pressure was typical of normal humans." Urahara answered in all seriousness

"There is however a possibility that the Matsuyukisou have left their land and come here, that could be one explanation for these occurrences" said Soi-Fon

"Yes, but as it stands there have been no sightings of their Quincy's, furthermore we cannot hold them in suspicion for these occurrences. If they learnt of our suspicion, Soul Society could lose a possible ally, a very powerful ally at that. The Quincy's of the Matsuyukisou were renowned for their captain-level spiritual pressure," answered Yoruichi

They sat in contemplative silence, sipping their tea idly. The sudden entrance of Ichigo, Chad, Uryuu, Orihime and Rukia, all out of breath, disturbed the seriousness of their thoughts.

"Nii…sama…" spoke Rukia in between deep breaths bowing low to her brother, "forgive us for our lateness…Captain Soi-Fon" acknowledging the captain with a respectful nod.

"Sit down all of you," ordered Urahara genially, the boys plopped themselves on the soft cushions, utterly exhausted from running that they gulped down the hot tea ignoring the burning of their throat. Orihime and Rukia accepted the tea gratefully, and drank it down elegantly in comparison. "So, why are you all late now? Happen to run into a hollow did you, that would be a rare occurrence here as of late"

"Uryuu took forever!" stated Ichigo glaring at the Quincy, and blaming him for being the reason that Rukia made them all run all the way here to try and make it in time. Ichigo's statement caught the close attention of the four adults present; Soi-Fon glared at Uryuu, Urahara and Yoruichi surveyed him interestingly, whilst Byakuya gazed at him with cold indifference.

Uryuu felt it all and tensed, his Quincy nerves on alert, he spoke calmly but the irritation at Ichigo was clear in his voice, "It could not be helped, my father held us up, to which Ichigo did nothing to help us get away sooner" earning him a deeper scowl from the orange haired. "If you had kept your arrogance and impatience in check he would not have continued to question us"

"What did he ask of you?" inquired Urahara

"He wanted to know where we were going at this time. He questioned me personally, why I continue to associate with them, Ichigo and Rukia especially. Then further asked what we all hope to achieve being just teenagers"

"Yada yada yada…blah blah blah. Your old man, sure hasn't got'n over his thing against shinigami. He obviously hates Rukia, I've never seen anyone stare so coldly, and that's saying something" exclaimed Ichigo his eyes darting to Byakuya before his mind remembered another ice-cube, Ulquiorra Schiffer

"He was not staring coldly" rationalized Rukia, "he is merely concerned as any father would be if they were aware of the situation that Uryuu and all of you put yourselves in. He as a Quincy has every right to be distrustful of shinigami."

"Tsch its not like we're in any danger or anything, there hasn't been any hollows for nearly a month now, Aizen hasn't shown his face. There's been no danger except for those weird bursts of reiatsu"

"So he was cold to Rukia aye?!" spoke Urahara out loud, they all turned to him waiting impatiently for him to continue on his line of thoughts but he did not

"Well?!" demanded Ichigo, tired of waiting

"Oh nothing at all, it is merely interesting"

"I would not say Dr. Ishida was cold to Rukia, but more contemplative. I am sure he values Rukia's friendship and all our friendship with Uryuu, he probably just wishes it did not always lead to battles" spoke Orihime. '_Contemplative, aye?' _thought Urahara, arousing his interest even further

"What is the arrangement now?" asked Rukia of Urahara

"You will remain in your charade as a high school student, and no longer take part in the nightly scouting. The situation has become dangerous but there are too many unknowns for you to continue scouting. You are not yet powerful enough to be in contention with whatever is responsible." Rukia nodded her understanding, but her hands tightened on the fabric of her dress. He was basically saying she was too weak; she felt the unconscious insult as well as the stab of reality that it was true. The situation was indeed grave if Soul Society thought to send two Captains to attend to scouting.

"Byakuya you will take Tessai's spot and join the first team, which includes Lisa, Rose, and Kensei, you patrol from 8am-4pm. You should be aware from previous reports of the quadrants, you will patrol Tessai's previous quadrant. Soi-Fon will take Rukia's previous place in the second team, with Yoruichi, Love and Hiyori; as you should be aware you patrol from 4pm to midnight, you relieve Byakuya from his post. The third team consists of me, Shinji, Mashiro and Hachigen from midnight to eight in the morning, when Byakuya will relieve me of my post. Move constantly within your quadrant, but do not stray far from the centre to make it easier to attend to any flares within your area. Concentrate on any hollow appearances as well as any spiritual pressure that is above normal for a human. You will complete a report after each patrol, besides that, you are free to do as you please"

Urahara reached inside his shirt and produced a small box for each of them, "Cell phones for each of you, everyone's number is already within. You will find me on speed dial 1. We will use this human mean to communicate. Try to refrain at all times from using shunpo, keeping your reiatsu at the bare minimum; since we are unsure of our enemy we must act to make sure that whoever is our enemy, they will remain _unaware_ of us. The gigai's I have supplied you will keep you reiatsu suppressed to a normal human level, however the seal upon them can be broken easily by yourself if you need to summon your full powers, otherwise……you are normal living humans" he concluded, clasping his hands.

* * *

**AN; Tada...and thats the second prologue, yea i know technically there can't be a second prologue, but in my case there is.**

**I'm working on the next chapter, which will be from Byakuya's side**

**nehu reviews are much appreciated, be it suggestions, criticism, or thunderous applause (hehehe)**

**til next time**


	3. Chapter 1 Part 1

**Thank You**

_**Chapter 1; 1**__**st**__** Part - Shinigami**_

* * *

**  
**He stayed up that night, long after Rukia and Orihime had bid him goodnight and retired to their shared room. Urahara had provided furnisher for his room, a simple double bed with side table and lamp, a desk and chair with a lamp as well; he had also provided a bed and desk for Rukia that had fitted well into Orihime's room. The small wardrobe in his room consisted of essentials in clothing. He read over the thick report numerous times; the week's reports consisted of twelve individual reports, each of the twelve reports contain 8parts, the first seven were accounts after each reconnaissance, the last part was a summary of that week. There was something nagging him, something in the reports that he just could not quite decipher, he decided to reread all of them for the seventh time but the beeping from the cell phone Urahara had given demanded his attention.

It seemed that Urahara had set his alarm; it was ringing 6:30a.m. There was no time for sleep so he grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom, he splashed the cold water onto his face hoping to clear his thoughts, he was not tired not in the slightest, he was missing something, it was in the reports but he just couldn't see it. It was nagging insistently in his head, fully formed and yet unclear to him, he could voice it, it was on the tip of his tongue but he knew not what. It would have to wait though, until after his scouting duty, maybe then it would be clear to him.

He had found out last night about the unusual taste of Orihime Inoue, though her food was bearable, he held preference to meals that were more than just bearable, and so with time to spare he began to cook breakfast. He could faintly hear the tumbling around and movement from Orihime and Rukia's room as he prepared breakfast as well as their lunch for today. A simple rice porridge, steamed fish and vegetables lightly spiced, as well as a mix of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and boysenberries with a choice of either yoghurt or honey to accompany it, greeted the two girls for breakfast that morning. They stumbled out of the room fully changed in their Karakura High uniform and openly gaped at the meal prepared for them by Byakuya, on the kitchen bench were two neat parcels containing their lunch.

"Nii-sama…thank you but you needn't have" spoke Rukia finally finding her voice, her stomach grumbling eagerly for the delicious breakfast that awaited them.

"Sit down both of you and eat" he replied solemnly, they did as he told and served themselves

"Arigato, Kuchiki-sama" spoke Orihime, her eyes alight at the food. She dished herself the rice porridge, fish and vegetables, drizzling honey over it, an eyebrow quirked but he did not say anything. Rukia scooped the berry fruit salad into a bowl, pouring yoghurt and honey over it, having already placed the rice and fish into a separate bowl. Byakuya did not touch the berry fruit salad, he had never been a real fan of sweet things, and had only prepared it knowing the preference of the two girls. They left the house at the same time, Byakuya heading to his quadrant on the outskirts of Karakura Town, Orihime and Rukia heading to Karakura High.

* * *

His quadrant was not very populated; it was mainly on the outskirts of Karakura Town, far away from the central hub. It included the cemetery, and within the same area was a Shinto shrine that afforded many visitors. The main stretch of road cut through the quadrant, but mainly it was just forest area, which sparked something within his mind, though he just couldn't put a finger on it. He spent his allotted time move back and forth between the shrine and the graveyard, and noted that one of the graves belonged to Ichigo Kurosaki's mother. It was generally quiet, there was no unusual bursts, and none of the humans possessed a higher than expected spiritual pressure.

He landed on a spot in the cemetery, up high that commanded a view of the entire yard before him, in the distant beyond the stretch of trees he could see Karakura, rows of rooftops slowly dipping into the central hub of the town. Closing his eyes he focused his senses on his quadrant, nothing remarkable, he extended his senses towards the town, noting Lisa, Kensei and Rose in their respective areas. Due to the type of gigai Urahara had gotten them, he was unable to sense the reiatsu of Rukia. The gigai not only suppressed their reiatsu to normal human level but even cut off the unique signature they each gave off, thus making it impossible to detect one another when in their gigai, another reason the cell phones given were of great importance. Therefore, he could not sense Yoruichi, Tessai or Urahara, though he knew them to be at the Shoten, or the other Visoreds that he was certain were settled in their abandon warehouse on the other side of the town.

He could however, easily sense the reiatsu of Ichigo Kurosaki's, his was always 'spewing' forth, next to his was the suppressed signature of the Quincy Uryuu, Orihime and Chad were also near them, as well as three other students that they became aware of after the war through Urahara. In another area, he could sense the faint reiatsu belonging to Ichigo's sisters, Yuzu and Karin. The suppressed reiatsu of Ryuken Ishida at his hospital as expected, another suppressed reiatsu near him, which could only be his secretary, also a Quincy; Isshin Kurosaki he could not sense since naturally he was the first to receive such a gigai 20years ago.

In the incident of Rukia's execution and Aizen's betrayal, it was made known to all of them that Isshin Kurosaki was in fact a shinigami, a former captain to the 10th Division. They had kept it quiet, for it was still unknown to his son, it explained why Ichigo's reiatsu was so high, only captains knew of Isshin's real identity; Rukia herself was unaware.

With the recent speculation surrounding the Matsuyukisou, it suddenly occurred to Byakuya that Ichigo Kurosaki and his sister should not even exist. A relationship between the living and the dead was strictly forbidden by both Soul Society and the Matsuyukisou, it was doubtful that Isshin had managed to stay undetected by the Matsuyukisou, not with Ryuken Ishida living in the same town. It is known even in Soul Society that the Ishida clan are in close confidence with the Matsuyukisou thanks to the head of their clan during the Quincy-Shinigami wars. Only Ryuken Ishida would be able to explain the lack of involvement by the Matsuyukisou in regards to Isshin Kurosaki, and in regards to all that had occurred in Karakura Town since Ichigo had become a soul reaper through Rukia.

"Kuchiki" spoke Soi-Fon landing lightly next to him, "You're relieved", he nodded to Soi-Fon in reply and then left quickly heading towards Karakura High, though he could not use his full shunpo so as not to be detected. He arrived in front of the school gates, in record time considering.

* * *

"Nii-sama" exclaimed Rukia surprised at her brother waiting for her, she bowed slightly in greeting, and began to introduce him to the rest of her friends he was unaware of; Tatsuki, Chizuru and Keigo bowed in greeting to him, all aware since the Winter War and their stint alongside Kon.

Byakuya's presence soon scared off the other three, and they left with Chad to continue on to their respective homes, leaving him with Ichigo, Uryuu, Rukia and Orihime.

"Uryuu Ishida, how long has your family lived in Karakura Town? It has never been Quincy land" spoke Byakuya breaking the silence that had descended upon them all since his arrival.

Uryuu adjusted his glasses, refusing to be daunted by the noble man's presence, "My grandfather moved here after my grandmother passed away, my father was just a kid at the time, no older than Ichigo's sisters."

"Wait you've been here that long! How come I don't remember you from Kindergarten or something?" exclaimed Ichigo

"I was privately tutored until entering Karakura High," replied Uryuu coolly

"That explains a lot" muttered Ichigo, earning a cold glare from Uryuu

"And what exactly is that suppose to mean?!"

"Your sewing fetish of course!" retorted Ichigo

Uryuu was quiet before answering, "I discovered my mother's sewing kit, when packing my grandfather's things after he died. I wanted to learn, so my father hired a tutor to teach me"

"A tutor, what? Wait, couldn't your mom have taught you?!" exclaimed Ichigo, oblivious to the sensitivity of the subject, which the two girls and Byakuya had picked up on, Rukia just barely missed from kicking Ichigo in the leg. Still he was totally unaware.

"My mother died a few months before my birthday" he replied sternly, "July 15th to be exact," he concluded before turning down a separate lane to head home

"Hey, that's my birthday!"

"Exactly!" muttered Uryuu over his shoulder, as he waved them goodbye,

"Way to go, you Baka! Could you be any more insensitive!" scowled Rukia at him

"Hey how was I to know!"

"You mean besides his hesitation, quietness, and discomfort…well I _really_ don't know" she drawled out sarcastically, both of them totally unawares that Byakuya had continued walking. Slapping him across the head, Rukia finally noticed that her brother wasn't standing next to Orihime; he was already 100metres ahead of them,

"Nii-sama!"

"I will see you later tonight, I have a report to write" he replied over his shoulder in an even tone. Despite the distance, Rukia easily heard his reply; shrugging to herself she and Orihime continued their lunchtime discussion of what to cook for that night in thanks to Byakuya for the splendid breakfast and lunch.

* * *

It was an easy enough report to write, no longer than a page; he had set up his report bullet point style, getting to the point instead of unnecessary long sentences which most unfamiliar with him would have expected.

It was too early to return to the house, and the nagging in his head concerning the report he had read throughout the night was still persisting. He left Urahara's Shoten, passing Karakura Park; the beauty of the cherry blossoms slowly blooming throughout the park drew him in. They were a reminder of the cherry blossoms that would also be blooming at his Manor in Soul Society, a sight that he would no doubt miss this season. The park would have to stand in as a substitute, and not a bad substitute either for it was lined with cherry blossoms along the paths as well as framing the perimeter.

It was still quite light, at least 2hours or so until sunset and so there was a decent crowd within the park both passing through as well as dawdling. He noticed that he drew the attention of many females both young and old, but he paid them no attention in return, it was always so, even on previous missions to the Living World – though rare – attention from women was expected. He hoped they would all be smart and keep their distance, he did not wish to waste his time addressing them; there was something in that report that he was missing, something important he had not figured out yet but was right there. He silently cursed himself for not bringing the report with him to peruse further as he guardedly searched for a quiet secluded spot to rest and collect his muddled thoughts.

He veered off the path, trampling on the soft grass through the trees passing area's more private for picnics and playing; he spotted a lone cherry blossom at the top of a raised embankment. He strode purposefully towards it noticing that upon the other side of the tree it faced over the small lake within the park; it was at the further most end of the lake and commanded a nice very over the lake's entirety as well as the main path on the other end. On either side of the lake the banks were lined with cherry blossoms some with seats beneath or between them, pathways passing alongside. It seemed however that the only way to get to this part of the lake was the way that he had come, this raised embankment was cut off from the other banks by a flurry of thick bushes on one side and the river path on the other. Overall, it was the perfect spot for him, it couldn't be more perfect if he had designed it himself; the seclusion of the spot would indeed secure future visits.

He lay down beneath the sakura tree, noticing that the branches hung low and shielded his presence…the perfect spot. He drummed his fingers lightly against his chest, his other arm resting across his forehead, it was in the report, all the little pieces were right there, he just couldn't piece them together…hell, he couldn't even figure out the pieces, but knew it was important. His lack of sleep was sinking in, the warmth of the suns light filtered through the blossomed branches lulling him into a deep dreamless sleep.

* * *

His senses slowly wakened him, thoughts of Rukia, the Matsuyukisou, Ichigo and his family, Uryuu and his mother's death, the lack of earthbound souls and hollows, the strange random bursts of spiritual pressure flitted through his mind as well as the scent of jasmine and lotuses. The chilly breeze stirred his eyes open, he instantly noticed that the sun had already set, it was a greyish dark, the faint twinkle of stars was slowly begin to appear against the flickering city lights.

He sat up; he had fallen asleep exactly where he lay though his neck did not feel sore or stiff nor did his head, rubbing the back of his neck absently. He looked back noticing the bundle of white in the darkness, grabbing it as he stood up he held it out realizing it was a woman's cardigan, a long cashmere and silk cardigan from the soft feel of it, it had no tag and so must have been specially made, a rich women then. He was certain he had not been seen heading in this direction, and thanks to the low branches he could not have been seen from the other banks along the lake. It seemed logical that whoever had left the cardigan for him to rest upon was familiar with the spot, and must have stumbled upon him sleeping beneath; at the very least, he would be able to return it to the owner.

With his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket and the cardigan slung over his forearm, he headed out of the darkening park, back on the main paths the lamps overhead were flickering on. The scent of jasmine and lotus from the cardigan consumed his senses. Lotuses…it made him think of Byakuren Kisshoten, which made him think of the Matsuyukisou. Byakuren also meant white ripple but he knew that the Quincy was named after the white lotuses that bloomed at the entrance of the Matsuyukisou lands.

He knew the story behind the Quincy-Shinigami war, after all Mika Kyouya was his grandfather's lieutenant, he had known her when she had served and liked and respected her a lot. He remembered her wedding to Akira Tomoya, who was the 13th Squad Lieutenant at that time, there was so much dancing and singing and drinking at the celebration after the wedding ceremony, it was the highlight at that time since the war with the Quincy's had many shinigami down spirited. It was only when he was made captain decades later that he was able to look further into the affair, the news he had picked up listening at his grandfather's office window and the story provided at the shinigami academy fuelled his desire for the truth behind it.

To say that he was surprised that the child Mika carried was not Tomoya's was an understatement. He remembered the day clearly, he had read the full report in the privacy of his own study in the Kuchiki Manor and had slammed it shut so forcefully servants had hurried to the room in worry for him only to find him angry and agitated as he paced the room. It had blown his mind that the child belonged to a human father, a living human father, a Quincy at that. Moreover, the child belonged to the Quincy Lord, Byakuren Kisshoten.

Byakuya had never hated his name except at that very moment, the moment when he realised how similar his name was to a man that was responsible for the slaughter of his own kind. If only he – Byakuren – had sent his Matsuyukisou assassins upon Uhyou when he knew he was getting out of hand, when he knew that he was rallying Quincy's to upset the balance, then the Quincy-Shinigami war would never have happened. Soul Society would never have had the need to interfere, all those Quincy's needn't have died, Mika would never have met him and she and Tomoya would possibly be still alive and in Soul Society.

One man brought about the near destruction of his entire kind, and all for what, his friend…the woman he loved but had not chosen him; either reasons the death of many was the result.

Byakuya had always wondered about Mika; did she know that Lord Kisshoten had always been in love with Uhyou's wife Lady Mizore Fubuki who was slaughtered by a hollow when pregnant. The Fubuki clan was the second noblest Quincy clan, and it was expected that Mizore would marry Kisshoten, but he had given her the choice to marry whomever she wished instead of being subject to an arranged marriage with him. Kisshoten had thought that she loved him that she would still choose him but she had not, she had chosen Uhyou instead. But what had pestered Byakuya the most about the entire affair was not knowing…not knowing whether Kisshoten truly loved Mika or whether she was just a rebound to his grieving over Lady Mizore's death, not knowing whether Tomoya had always known the child was not his or was he just a victim in love. But mot of all, what nagged him the most was not knowing whether or not Mika's child, the child he had felt kick against her swollen belly, whether the Shinigami-Quincy child had survived the birth as well or had he or she died along with Mika.

* * *

A sudden burst of reiatsu alerted Byakuya, he shunpo'd towards where he had sensed the spike, it was within the quadrant that Hiyori would be scouting within. He stopped and was surprised to find himself at a supermarket. The supermarket parking lot seemed still very busy, Hiyori stood in the midst her eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

"Hollow?"

"No…in this case it was just one of those weird bursts, there was no hollow even attempting to get in"

"An earth bound spirit then?!"

"Nope…checked that too, I was in this very area just a moment before, I checked for any spirits around that could possibly lure a hollow or whatever it is we are after! ARGH…DAMN THIS!" she stomped her foot down, her hands fisted in frustrate anger.

"Nii-sama!" "Kuchiki-sama!" Byakuya and Hiyori looked up to find Rukia and Orihime, laden with shopping bag running towards them from within the grocery mall.

"Nii-sama…" Rukia bent over one hand resting against her knee, the other holding a full bag of groceries as she caught her breath, "we…we felt the bursts and came out as soon as we could and then saw you both." She addressed Byakuya since Hiyori was not in her gigai, and the parking lot was busy enough to draw attention to her if she were to talk to what appeared to be nothing.

"You've both been here all this time?!" queried Byakuya, _'That's it, it makes sense now, damn it!'_ The loud honk of a horn startled them all, they moved off the driveway thinking the honking was at them so they moved towards the entrance of the supermarket

Hiyori turned back around to scream at the car that had beeped, but someone stumbling out of the supermarket caught her attention instead. It was not one though but two very drunk young men, twins in fact, their coppery hair was a mess, their shirts wrinkled and untucked, they smelt of brandy and cigars. They stumbled over toward them, one slung his arm over Orihime's shoulder, "I know you! Don't I know you! I'm sure I know you, I'm sure we've met somewhere, haven't we love?!"

"We have never met" spoke the other, his eyes locked upon Rukia, with her free hand in his he held her gaze as he bent towards her, bring her hand to his lips, "I am certain we have never met, I would never forget such a beauty as you" he whispered against her hand before bringing it closer to his lips.

Sadly for him he was yanked away by the collar of his shirt by another man the hood of his jacket was raised so his face could not be seen. However, it seemed like to Rukia, for that split second before he turned around dragging that twin, their eyes had locked, though she couldn't even see his face in the darkness that the hood had afforded she felt certain that their eyes had locked in that tiny moment. Another young man was standing behind the hooded guy, he had tanned skin but corn blonde hair and hazel eyes, his hands stuffed in his pocket he bowed and smiled apologetically to them, as hooded guy grabbed the other twin and dragged them both off by their collar.

"We will meet again," cried the twin to Rukia, "I promise you my violet eyed butterfly, we will meet again and I will lay my heart before you," he announced louder as he was dragged down an alley way. His brother dragged along at his side was singing a pirate song to himself, whilst the blonde mellow guy followed behind.

"What the hell?!" cried a stranger that had observed the whole display.

"I swear that Blondie was one of the drunks the last time!" speculated Hiyori

"The last time?" queried Orihime, her eyes confused at what Hiyori meant by that

"The trap!" exclaimed Byakuya suddenly and raced after the four men who had turned down into an alleyway, he cursed to himself that he could not use shunpo. The drunken display had drawn much attention from shoppers and drivers passing by, too much attention to disappear suddenly at lightning speed. Byakuya rounded the corner to the alleyway, it was a dead end literally and figuratively, the four men were nowhere to be seen. Using some reiatsu, he launched himself off the ground to reach the rooftop of the four storey high buildings on either side, a kido spell on the tip of his tongue. Again the four men were no where to be seen, he landed on the rooftop noticing however faint remains of reiatsu, no identity to it but the remains made a symbol upon the rooftop floor.

Hiyori landed at his side, as he bent down swiping a finger along the residue, "A transportation spell!" stated Hiyori with conviction, "Pass me your cell phone, I left mine on my gigai" He handed his cell phone to her, and she took a picture of the residue symbol, "That's clear enough, its definitely a transportation spell"

"You are familiar with this technique?"

"Kind of, I've heard about it." Hiyori replied, throwing his cell phone back, "It's a four-point star transportation spell; no command/chant is needed, however it requires for all four involved being in sync with their thoughts in order for it to work. Which is much harder than the long-winded command transportation spell; the four-point star is not even taught anymore. I only know about it because Tessai mentioned it once." She explained as they jumped off the roof and made their way back to Rukia and Orihime.

"Continue with your duty, I'll inform Kisuke of these discoveries" she nodded and shunpo'd off, to check the other areas of her quadrant. Byakuya took the shopping bags from the girl and hailed a cab for them, placing the shopping in the boot he sat in the front passenger seat whilst the two girls sat at the bank, it was a quiet trip back to Orihime's apartment, though only 15min, it seemed like forever to the girls, but not long enough for Byakuya. The cab pulled up to Orihime's apartment, he got out with the girls and unloaded the shopping for them. "I need to see Urahara immediately, go straight inside and do not leave, no matter what. There is no school tomorrow correct"

"Correct, it's the weekend"

"Good, inform the other three to be at Urahara's in the morning, 6oclock sharp. Do not leave the house for any reason at all tonight, I will be back late, do not wait up."

"Hai Nii-sama" "Hai Kuchiki-sama" He carried the shopping to the door, before handing it over to them as they went in, rushing back down he instructed the cabbie to take him to Urahara's Shoten.

* * *

"URAHARA!" shouted Byakuya, barging through the Shoten's doors.

"Now, now Kuchiki, is that racket really necessary?" called out Urahara from one of the rooms. Byakuya made his way towards it to find Urahara, Tessai, Lisa, Kensei and Rose sitting around drinking tea. Well Urahara and Tessai were drinking, Rose was tuning a guitar, Kensei was staring out the window totally bored, Lisa on the other hand was 'reading' a swimsuit magazine.

"The burst!"

"Yes, we sensed it too. No hollow readings though, so this is just one of those cases where it really is random" replied Rose absently

"Unless, there was an earthbound spirit there; no way of knowing either way unless checked before hand. Hiyori's got that quadrant I think" spoke Kensei blandly

"She did check, there was no spirits in that area beforehand" replied Byakuya in cold annoyance

"Then the mystery is solved, the mystery blast was caused by a mystery!" concluded Kensei in mock triumph, Rose chuckled along

"We saw the drunks!" stressed Byakuya

"Oh!" replied everyone, their attention finally drawn.

"Four young men, two were twins, coppery hair, one was blonde with tanned skin, the fourth I could not tell he was hooded. All however were the same height and built, they used what Hiyori identified as a four-point star transportation spell to escape" he stated, tossing his cell phone to Urahara. He caught the phone, and studied the picture caught, until handing it over to Tessai next to him.

"I take it they escaped after that rapid burst we all sensed" replied Tessai, "A four-point star transportation spell exactly, and a perfect one at that. A perfectly executed four-point transportation spell will emit no spiritual pressure whatsoever; residue will remain for no longer than a minute after 'departure' but the residue itself is characterless, like dense spirit particles, no clear identity. How is it that you identified them, these drunks?"

"We moved towards the shopping mall doors, they caught the attention of everyone and stumbled towards us."

"You weren't here when we set that trap, nor did Hiyori ever get a close enough glimpse of those drunks. How do you know they were the same?" asked Urahara

"Cheap cigar, expensive brandy!" stated Byakuya matter-of-factly

"Huh?" exclaimed Lisa

"No one that can afford good brandy would smoke a cheap cigar" explained Kensei, the other three men nodding in agreement

"I realised too late that the brandy was in his hair, and not upon his breath, if he was indeed drunk. The cigar smell was upon the twins clothes, but there were no stains to their fingers, which could mean nothing, they could be just occasional smokers. However, the cigar scent itself was cheap and did not match the obvious wealth of the type of brandy. That and the rings they wore, the twins wore blue diamond rings set in sterling silver, the blonde had a distinctive scar across the back of his left hand. They are Matsuyukisou Quincy's, I am certain of it" concluded Byakuya

"I will concede to you that these indeed are the drunks, I remember the blonde clearly and the scar, one of the twins would have been the other drunk. As for the involvement of the Matsuyukisou, that's pushing it a bit Kuchiki. They could be other factions, Soul Reapers from other groups, newly made Arrancars in gigai's even" replied Urahara

"I have not finished" spoke Byakuya, "The report, it bugged me for all of last night, throughout today, it was that burst of reiatsu that I finally figured out what I've been trying to since last night."

"And what's that Kuchiki?" asked Kensei

"Rukia!" he replied simply but seriously. Urahara's eyes widened momentarily before he closed them and took a long gulp of his tea. "Rukia and Orihime were at the supermarket buying groceries. The bursts follow hollow appearances, that we know, but some blasts do not coincide with any hollows but they do coincide with Rukia's movements. During the day she is at the high school, this is Rose's quadrant during that time," he said turning to Rose, "many of the bursts around that time are in or around your quadrant, then they occurred on the outskirts of town, when Rukia was scouting. That area is mainly forest; the only humans are those passing by on the road or those visiting the shrine or cemetery in the area."

"Cemeteries attract very little earthbound spirits; it is where they rest not usually where they die, souls have a tendency to inhabit more lively human places or the area of their death, therefore hollows are also rare in the area" said Rose, following his line of thought

"Yet many bursts occurred in and around that area. Then after her scouting duty, she returns here to write her report, and then leaves for Kurosaki's home, the flare's follow." He eyed them with conviction, "They are after Rukia"

They all remained quiet, trying to match in Byakuya's assessment with their own memories as well as with the reports statements, the gravity of what Byakuya was implying was huge. "Say you're right about this all, about Rukia in this," spoke Lisa, ignoring Byakuya's self-assured look, "If they are after Rukia, there is no hope for her, or us. The Matsuyukisou Assassins are a powerful bunch, once judgement is passed they will ensure the mission is completed."

"But they have not killed her yet, therefore there is still some hope, maybe they are just observing, she did house the Hogyoku within her. Is it possible for Aizen to seek her again, to house the Hogyoku for strengthening?" queried Rose to Urahara

"Yes, which is why we have kept a close eye on Rukia, she could be of use to Aizen in regards to the Hogyoku, though Orihime also could be of use to him in the same regard. Nevertheless, if the Matsuyukisou are involved in this, the objective of their mission is still an obstacle. I can try to contact the Sotaichou, but he's locked out all communications and travel with and to Soul Society for safety, we might not get through until the standard time next week. We can present the information to the Sotaichou and maybe he will try to get an audience with the Matsuyukisou Elders."

"No not the Elders, it must be with Kisshoten himself" Byakuya corrected

"It may be that there is no Kisshoten Lord, the old man has not confirmed of such" answered Urahara, "Can you tell us what exactly happened Byakuya, did they say anything to you, from what I can recall from our last encounter with them, the two sang incoherently and passed out. We called a cab for them the next morning, they mumbled out and left, we did not actually speak closely with them, they were too drunk. Of which we are certain, their blood-alcohol reading was twice the legal limit."

"Only the twins talked, one pretended to have met Inoue before, the other attempted to 'acquaint' himself with Rukia until they were both pulled away by the hooded one. The twin that spoke to Rukia, did yell out nonsense about meeting again, his 'butterfly' and laying out his heart to her" replied Byakuya

"Butterfly?! You are certain he called her butterfly. What were his exact words?!" exclaimed Urahara excitedly, earning weird stares from the others

"Hmm…'we will meet again, I promise you my violet eyed butterfly, we will meet again and I'…'I will lay down my heart for you'…No…it was 'I will lay my heart before you'. That is all that was said."

"You are right, they are Matsuyukisou!" Urahara answered

"You figured that out from some idiot's lame declaration of devotion" scoffed Kensei

"You must read between the lines and over the lines too. You see, the Quincy's would call a shinigami as a butterfly because when entering into the Living World, naturally a hell butterfly is used; a hell butterfly followed by a shinigami, see! Also, amongst the Quincy's the term 'lay your heart before me' or 'I lay my heart before you' is what they say in regards to a confrontation, it is their way of saying I fight you with no reservations, no hidden agenda's, no over-riding feelings, a fight where only duty and honour is the means and the ends." Kisuke said gravely, "They are indeed Matsuyukisou Assassins and are after Rukia"

"I have instructed Rukia and Inoue to contact the other three and inform them to be here by 6am tomorrow"

"Ultimately it is my call, but you actually wish for them to know?"

"To some degree, it depends on how tonight will go"

"You are going to Ryuken Ishida then!" Urahara stated, "Very well, I'm coming with you, I'm curious to know whether there is a Kisshoten Lord, or if the Elders really have been running the show since the War"

"In that case, I'm coming too, I'm bored as heck sitting around doing nothing, and I seriously need to stretch my legs. Besides if this turns into a showdown between Quincy and Shinigami I'm in" spoke Kensei getting up and stretching himself.

"Are we assuming then that the Matsuyukisou are working with Aizen, or against him as well. They could be after Rukia because of her worth to Aizen in regards to the Hogyoku" spoke Rose

"But they would be watching Orihime too, wouldn't they?" Lisa said

"They could be after both, there have been flares in the quadrant containing Orihime's home, whilst Rukia was scouting. Rukia was too far from her so they must be after both girls," replied Kensei, still stretching out his stiff limbs

"No, it is _all_ of them!" Urahara spoke in creepy seriousness appearing back in the room suddenly with a map of Karakura Town, numerous tacks upon it of a dozen different colours. "See here, the violet pins here on the outskirt of Karakura represents flare occurrences for the past 2weeks in that area. The violet colour is to highlight that they occurred only during the hours of 4pm and midnight, her scouting time."

"What are these orange pins that are also with them?"

"Those are the bursts that have occurred during the same time period, but when Ichigo was also present with her on duty. The silver pins throughout the map are bursts that have occurred in accordance with a hollow appearance, with the info from the science bureau I was able to backtrack and identify the bursts from the first two weeks."

"The silver pins are definitely more random, though as expected a lot are centred in and near the high-school and the Kurosaki clinic."

"Yes, Ichigo's naturally oozing reiatsu certainly draws in the attention of hollows," quipped Urahara, "Now, the green pins and blue pins occur in the quadrant containing Chad and Uryuu's homes, pink, red and brown centred near the other three human's homes. White pins surrounding area's marking for Ichigo's sisters, and yellow marks Orihime."

"In her home quadrant," spoke Lisa seeing the pattern in the map

"Yes and these black pins mark the bursts that have occurred in the quadrant containing Karakura High and Elementary during the hours of school and after school activities. There are no other pin colours in this quadrant because the bursts have only ever occurred during school hours."

"Yet, none of this pattern was noticed before!" stated Rose in disbelief

"Because the focus for us all was more on who was causing it than the cause _for_ it!" clarified Byakuya tonelessly

"Exactly, I suppose you know what these gold pins are?!" Urahara said peering over his out-folded fan.

"The father's!" stated Byakuya

"Wait, you mean Isshin and Ryuken?!" blurted out Kensei

"Does this mean they are all being hunted by the Matsuyukisou and not just Rukia, or are they all in fact being protected?!" questioned Lisa loudly adjusting her glasses, her attention completely captured by the various pins on the board and the numerous reports from the past 3weeks now in her hands. The room was silent as they stared at the board intently, none knew the answer to that question, all were uneasy about the former part being the reality, most especially Byakuya.

"Yep," cried Kensei startling them all out of further gloomy thoughts, "we definitely need to pay that Ryuken a visit; who better to get answers about Quincy's than from a Quincy, and an Ishida at that." He turned his back to the map and made for the door, "The Ishida's are pretty tight with the Matsuyukisou aren't they?!" he asked Byakuya and Urahara over his shoulder as they headed out

"For the sake of all, let's hope so!"

* * *

**AN; The Plot thickens…well I sure hope it does, if not I can always add some flour… (lol – lame as joke…yep…moving on - hehehe). **

**Naturally you can just guess who hooded guy was, as for the twins, when I had first introduced them in Prologue 1 I had model them off of Kaoru and Hirako from Ouran High, but I guess a slightly older version, think 19/20yr old version, more mischievous and cheeky and definitely not incestuous-hinting like the Ouran host twins. As for the other guy, he's kind of modelled off of Hallibel – since I just think her look was cool – and kind of modelled off some of my own cousins that have corn blonde hair with their dark skin.**

**Reviews, comments and suggestions are both appreciated and welcomed…No spam please I ain't a fan of canned meat! (Yes another lame joke, I'm in one of those nutty moods – cashew not peanut {sorry LOL couldn't help myself})**

**Nehu…**

'**til next time **


	4. Chapter 1 Part 2

**Thank You**

_**Chapter 1; 2**__**nd**__** Part - Quincy**_

* * *

They chose to walk the six blocks to the hospital run by Ryuken Ishida, Urahara nodding along to the elevator music as they ascended to Ryuken's office. They stepped out of the elevator and immediately Ryuken's secretary greeted them; the three shared a look of disconcertment for it seemed as if they were expected. The silvery gleam of the Quincy cross hanging from her left earlobe instantly drew their attention**.**

"This way please gentleman" she gestured walking ahead, she did not bother to turn back, she was already certain they would follow. Ryuken stood from his desk upon their entrance, moving away from his seat to stand at the side of his large oak desk, he gestured them to seat themselves upon the leather couches before them. His secretary scurried around to prepare their tea. She sat down the tea set upon the low marble table, pouring them each a cup of jasmine tea into beautifully crafted porcelain chinaware.

Ryuken seated himself languidly into the large leather couch, gesturing them again to take the couch opposite him, as he nodded to his secretary in dismissal. She bowed to them and then left the room, closing the large double oak doors.

"You have been expecting us," spoke Byakuya solemnly as he seated himself also, and studied the magnificently crafted cup within his hand, the heady scent of the jasmine tea consuming his senses.

"Since your sister made that Kurosaki boy a shinigami," he replied idly, shooting down the scolding tea as if it were a shot of alcohol. "Beautiful, is it not?" he said studying the now empty cup in his hand, "A family heirloom you could say, one of many gifts presented to my family from our Noble Clans. That is why you are here, correct…the Matsuyukisou!" His light gaze shifted from the porcelain cup to rest intensely upon Byakuya Kuchiki.

"We have come to believe that there are Matsuyukisou agents within Karakura Town" spoke Urahara, intently studying the Quincy man seated before him. He had not taken a single sip of the tea, none of them except for Ryuken had. It remained in the porcelain cup held in his hands, the heat overwhelming the cold stiffness in his fingers.

"The Living World _is_ their domain; Soul Society failed to end Aizen's…_exploits_! It is the duty of the Matsuyukisou to address the situation."

"The Matsuyukisou are Assassins, they are not like the Quincy's of the Kokhabi. They are not guardians they are killers!" retorted Kensei

"Yes indeed, and would you not concede that with the unveiling of Aizen's real intentions, it is killers that are required to rectify this situation and not guardians!" Ryuken retorted back at him, he filled his porcelain cup again with the scolding tea, and again he gulped it down in a single shot. He exhaled sharply, licking the last remnants of its sweet bitterness from his lips, he reached for the pot again but Byakuya had quickly moved it from his reach.

Their eyes locked, "Tell me about Isshin Kurosaki!" spoke Byakuya in cold clarity

Ryuken close his eyes tightly and exhaled sharply again, leaning back into the sofa he asked in annoyance, "What about Isshin?!"

"You are aware that he is a former shinigami, a former captain of the Gotei-13?!"

"Yes, I have always known. The white haori was a dead give away as to his status!"

"You have been a resident within Karakura for some time, since you were a young boy, correct?!"

"Yes and no, I studied elsewhere since I was 15, I did not return to Karakura Town until after my internship years."

"You met Isshin Kurosaki here in Karakura Town, correct?"

"Yes, before I left and again upon my return"

"Did you also meet your wife here in Karakura Town?" queried Byakuya again, though softly almost tenderly. Ryuken stiffened instantly, his features darkening, he shut his eyes tightly, his breathing ragged as he inhaled deeply trying desperately to calm his nerves and temper. Urahara and Kensei, who had sat quietly and patiently throughout the exchange between the two, became suddenly aware of Byakuya's objective. "It is treasonous by both Soul Society and Matsuyukisou laws for any form of relationship between a human and non-living being. Isshin escaped Soul Society's radar, but I do not think it possible for him to have escaped the radar of the Matsuyukisou with a Quincy residing in the same town, a Quincy that is well aware of his presence, and more importantly an Ishida. The Matsuyukisou and the Ishida Clan are close; this porcelain set is proof enough"

Ryuken burst out in bitter laughter, hunched over himself one hand slapping his knee, "Come out with it Kuchiki!" he said finally, his eyes alight in bitter humour

"Isshin Kurosaki was married to a human; he has three children that should not and would not exist if Soul Society or the Matsuyukisou had been aware first hand"

"Indeed, Isshin would have been a dead _dead-man_ or perhaps a very lonely _more-crazy_ man, prisoner within the Maggots Nest. Masaki would either have been killed or her memory wiped, and our _favourite_ substitute shinigami," his voice cooed thick with sarcasm, "Ichigo Kurosaki as well as his young sisters would never have come to exist. _Your_ young sister," he exclaimed wildly, grabbing the pot and pouring himself a cup, "would never have met him, would never have given her powers away, this whole _fiasco!_ would not be. However," he said in abrupt seriousness, pausing effectively he sipped lightly at the tea slowly inhaling its chilling scent, "more likely this whole fiasco would not be _yet_; Aizen in all probability would still be a respectable captain abiding his _dubious_ time in Soul Society company" wiggling his eyebrows at them before gulping the last of his tea.

Urahara and Kensei shared a look, both questioning the sanity of the Quincy doctor. "Your wife died on July 15th," spoke Byakuya with indifferent serenity,

Ryuken managed a weak smile of acknowledgement, he reached for the pot but Byakuya grasped it first. He did not lift his head as Byakuya poured the cooling tea into the cup in his outstretched arm. He held it close to his face, inhaling the rich aroma, lost in the shallow depths of the liquid, "You know much…Kuchiki," he intoned sharply.

"She died 15years ago on the very day Ichigo Kurosaki was born," continued Byakuya

Ryuken smiled bitterly, "Obviously not that much! My wife died _6-years_ ago, on the day of Ichigo Kurosaki's 9th birthday."

"The same year Ichigo Kurosaki's mother died whispered Byakuya to himself incredulously

"Yes, the very same year. Do you know then how my wife died? That she died on her way to the Kurosaki household, I was making my way their separately with Uryuu, she was driving in from just outside Karakura. She was a nurse you see, and had attended to a patient's private home that morning for a check-up."

"A hollow had forced her car off the road; she had survived the sudden crash unscathed. All she could do was run…run from a monster she could not see." He got up from the leather couch, the porcelain cup discarded upon the table still full with the tea, and walked to the large window. The small hospital gardens hidden in the darkness far below, the glittering town lights in the distance could not compete against the lights in the room they were lost for the glass reflected only the scene within.

They watched him through his reflection, his posture tired, his features aggrieved, his gaze lost in the dark reflection of his eyes. "It forced her spirit out of her body, broke the chain of fate that connected her to life" croaked his voice hoarsely, "It did not consume her, no! It spared her that fate!" the bitter laughter escaped him again without the wildness though and instead deep with biting melancholy. He turned back around to face them his eyes deadened, and then suddenly slumping against the window glass, his head shaking softly as his closed eyes struggled to hold in the dark tears.

They darted from their seat, Byakuya moved towards him but he sensed his presence, his head shook in indignation, "It ripped her soul apart!" he cried out, eyes brimming with tears and alight with a freezing fieriness, "It ripped her apart, her..._pieces_…tossed aside!"

The unshed tears finally cascaded and he, himself, slumped down against the glass onto the floor, "All at the same time that Uryuu and I had arrived at the Kurosaki household!" The bitter laughter returned. Byakuya seated himself next to Ryuken, Urahara and Kensei grabbing the pot and cups folded themselves facing them, and forced the cup of warm tea in his hands. He gulped it down at once, gestured for another and gulped that down too in one shot.

They drank from their own cups finally, and waited patiently for him to unburden himself with the melancholic load that weighed down heavily upon him.

"I received a call from an officer, her car was discovered pinned into a tree, she was nowhere around. Isshin and I…we left his house together, we did not even bother with a car we just shunpo'd there. The young officers could not find her in the darkness, but we sensed the reiatsu remains of a hollow. Her body was just 500m away from the car. Police investigators and the coroner could not explain her sudden death, could not explain why she had run into the brush instead of towards nearby shop buildings. Of Course Not! They could not sense the remains of her spiritual pressure scattered about the scene!"

"Where were the Matsuyukisou?" questioned Kensei

"Tsch…where were the Shinigami!" Ryuken hit back

"Did the Matsuyukisou know about Isshin?" asked Byakuya in feigned indifference

That bitter smile returned upon is face; he tossed his white-ash hair to the side, and locked their gaze with his now dry eyes "There are eight Matsuyukisou Elders," his voice reverberated with a sort of medical seriousness, "each representing the Eight Noble Clans. The Fubuki Clan, 2nd most in line, followed by the Sagiri Clan, the Kangetsu Clan, the Hatsuyuki Clan, the Bosetsu Clan, the Jimo Clan, and the Uzume Clan. Mostly, the Matsuyukisou Assassins consist of members direct from these clans."

"That is only seven! The eight is the Kisshoten clan?!" corrected Kensei

"Yes, commonly the eighth Elder post is held by the previous Kisshoten head, there is none so instead this position is held by a Ryoka"

"A Ryoka?!" the three repeated

"Yes, for decades now the post has been held by a Kokhabi Quincy. Held by the former Leader of the noblest clan from the Kokhabi Raiden's, currently that is Elder Yue."

"So none of the Matsuyukisou Elders or the Assassins are aware of Isshin Kurosaki?!" clarified Urahara

"The Matsuyukisou are _always_ aware of _everything_ at _all_ times. They have _always_ been aware of Isshin Kurosaki, former Gotei-13 Shinigami Captain," answered Ryuken, pouring himself another cup of tea but now intent upon sipping it slowly

"Then why,"

"Why was Isshin not assassinated, and Masaki not memory wiped," spoke Ryuken interrupting Byakuya, "why were they allowed to marry, why was she allowed to become pregnant not just once but twice?! Because Masaki Kurosaki was born Lady Masaki Kangetsu, daughter of the Kangetsu Clan" he answered them all.

They returned his steady gaze with disbelief and interest, "Masaki possessed no Quincy ability so her mother, Karin, left the Matsuyukisou with her shortly after her birth never to return. Kangetsu-sama was married off again soon after Masaki and her mother had left. Karin then died when Masaki was nine. My parents took her into our home, and then my mother, Yuzu, died not long after, so we left and resettled in Karakura Town. Masaki's father, subsequently Ichigo's grandfather, is the current clan head known as _Elder Kangetsu_ of the Matsuyukisou Council Elders"

"Masaki was a Quincy!" intoned Urahara, at the same time Kensei exclaimed, "Ichigo's a _Quincy_!"

"No, they are of Quincy _decent_, neither have Quincy powers therefore they are not Quincy's. Masaki's mother could not return, once Karin left the barrier she could not re-enter because she too did not possess Quincy abilities, she was unable to see or even sense plus souls. However, Masaki could sense them, and see them but not clearly only their outlines. Karin had made my parents promise that Masaki was to never be told of her Quincy heritage, a promise that my father and I both kept."

"She never knew she was of Quincy blood? How was it explained that she came to be raised by your family, a family descended from a long line of Quincy's?" Urahara queried

"It just so happened that my mother and hers were childhood best-friends during their days in the Matsuyukisou lands, they descended from servant and lesser-noble clans living within the Matsuyukisou barrier. My mother Yuzu had left when she was fifteen, and assisted Karin when she left the Matsuyukisou a few months after she had given birth to Masaki. The story given was that they were childhood best friends growing up in Karakura Town, the Quincy part left out of that. Karin chose Karakura thoughtlessly when they concocted their story, because it was far from the Matsuyukisou land. When my mother died, my father was intent upon moving towns, Masaki suggested Karakura because of the _tales_ my mother and hers told."

"Had they ever been to Karakura before?" asked Kensei

"Not once after either of them had left the Matsuyukisou."

"So to keep up the tale, Sōken moved you and Masaki here to Karakura Town."

"Yes. Her father, Kangetsu-sama had two sons from his second marriage but both his sons also had no Quincy abilities and left the Matsuyukisou when they had come of age at 17. It was nearly 20years ago, that Isshin established himself as a human, a young doctor by the name of Kurosaki. At that time, Kangetsu-sama was an active Quincy of the Matsuyukisou Assassins, his eldest son's status he had no knowledge of and he had already lost his wife and youngest son. As it stood, with no knowledge of his eldest son, Masaki was the only heir to the Kangetsu clan. He had no idea how to find her until my father came before him to inform him of the situation between a defected soul society captain and Masaki."

"And so Kangetsu-sama gained clemency for Masaki and Isshin's union!" stated Urahara

"No. It is treasonous whether you are of noble blood or not. So to protect his daughter from Quincy attacks that he knew would be eminent once the Matsuyukisou discovered and sent the other assassins, Kangetsu-sama with the help of my father performed an Izanami shield spell. It would forever protect her from being hurt in any way by a Quincy and could not be undone. Therefore it would make her immune to the Matsuyukisou Assassins."

"This Izanami spell is what exactly?" asked Urahara

"A Death and creation spell. There are two forms of the spell, one is a protective spell the other a destruction spell, created by the Kisshoten clan. Unknown to my father and Kangetsu-sama at the time was that only a Kisshoten could perform an Izanami spell. In the absence of a Kisshoten, the kido spell would become distorted."

"Distorted?!" the three repeated

"Equivalent exchange," Ryuken answered, earning quizzical brows in answer. "A daughter protected, a daughter lost. Masaki would be protected from the Matsuyukisou, and in equivalence my wife would lose her life, torn apart by a Hollow."

"That is the equivalence? Who summoned the hollow that killed your wife? The Matsuyukisou?!" questioned Byakuya

"No, it was the spell itself! Masaki was immune to the Quincy Assassins, in equivalence, a former Matsuyukisou that had become a hollow, would kill my wife."

"The hollow was a former Matsuyukisou? You are certain of that!"

"Yes, I saw its true identity before I killed it. It was the previous Kisshoten-sama who, seven years before was overpowered, killed and dragged into Hueco Mundo to become a hollow himself. I wiped Uryuu's mind of his 'Aunt' Masaki and the rest of the Kurosaki family; I blamed her for my wife's death and threatened my father to stop all contact with her or I would prevent him from ever seeing Uryuu again, to which my father complied. The Kurosaki children were like-wise wipe of their memory of us." He ran his hand through his messy hair, adjusting his glasses, "But the Matsuyukisou always knows! No crime goes unpunished!"

"They knew about Grand Fishers presence in Karakura, a hollow that had eluded Soul Society for over fifty years" spoke Urahara, dawning with understanding.

"Yes, they knew Grand Fisher was casing areas near the Kurosaki household and near where Masaki walked with Ichigo. They kept the information from Kangetsu-sama, and did not send the other Matsuyukisou Assassins to easily deal with Grand Fisher. They knew he was after Ichigo, and they anticipated that Masaki would do anything to protect her child even at the cost of her life. Masaki's death was foreseen and not prevented, as punishment to Kangetsu-sama."

"And Sōken's punishment, was to be overpowered by hollows, left to his own fate!" continued Urahara,

"No, my father's punishment was to lose all protection and assistance to the Ishida Clan by the Matsuyukisou. I left Karakura at 15 because the Matsuyukisou paid for my schooling; tuition and boarding all paid for throughout my years of study including my years as an Intern. Ishida's have been under the protection of the Matsuyukisou since the end of the War, every Ishida upon the age of 15 were sent to the most sophisticated school overseas, and were educated and trained alongside the children of the Matsuyukisou clans. His punishment was for our clan, our family, to be left to our fate, no special protection unless requested and granted."

"Is Isshin aware that his children are of Quincy decent? Does he know who Masaki really was?" asked Kensei

"After her death only; Kangetsu-sama attended her funeral service, he and my father explained to Isshin the connection between the death of my wife and of his, so to explain why Ichigo and the two girls remembered nothing of Uryuu or my wife and I. He refused Kangetsu-sama access to the children, to this day, he is still banned and I suppose respects the distance that Isshin imposes. Kangetsu-sama's eldest son died that year also, but he did not find out until the following year upon the anniversary by his grandson, his only grandchild besides the Kurosaki's."

"The Matsuyukisou are not above killing their own, then."

"Nor are the Shinigami; even more so, for the Matsuyukisou assassins have been tasked numerous times by your Central 46 and your Commander General to dispatch of Shinigami, when they could not do so themselves or chose not to so as to avoid being seen as the punishers."

"So are the Matsuyukisou Quincy's killers, first and foremost, or protectors first?!" taunted Kensei

"The Matsuyukisou are justice," said Ryuken, before correcting, "…as they see fit!"

"So is it justice that brings the Matsuyukisou back into Karakura, their Quincy Assassins following your every move, including that of your son, the Kurosaki's, the other human teenagers as well as my sister."

"Yes!" answered Ryuken simply, getting up and heading toward his desk. He was already seated in the tall leatherback chair by the time the other three men had dusted themselves off and risen.

"You will arrange an audience for me with Kisshoten-sama, and only him. No Elders are to be present," intoned Byakuya in unquestionably finality. The importance of the order requested registered in the eyes of Ryuken Ishida, he did not move, did not answer but stared intently at Byakuya. "I have met with four of your Matsuyukisou Assassins, mere children, but if the declaration of heart as announced by one of them is true to its depths then we have every reason to believe that the Matsuyukisou are here as a _punishing_ justice. Therefore, I have every intention in _persuading_ Kisshoten-sama to recall his assassins."

No reply came; instead, they all witnessed the bitterness return to every feature of the Quincy man, the corner of his mouth twitching up in a sneer "Kisshoten-sama is _within_ Karakura Town!" They stared blankly at him, his words sinking slowly into their conscious. "No Kisshoten-sama has ever accompanied a mission with the entire Matsuyukisou Quincy's. Every Kisshoten has attended missions solo."

"Until now" finished Kensei

"Until now," repeated Ryuken,

"It should be easier for you then, to get me an audience with Kisshoten-sama! Your life and than of Uryuu's is also at stake!"

"The only 'life' at risk is that of your sister!"

"Rukia!" whispered Byakuya

"Rukia Kuchiki is the mission. The only mission, all others are protected. They are all here for her and only her. Fate has dealt her a cruel hand; the Matsuyukisou acknowledge Fate, they believe it to be their guide."

"And so it is _Fate_," hissed Byakuya, "that has guided them to aim their arrows at my sister, to hunt her down as their subject, their target!"

"Yes!" answered Ryuken simply

"It has been 3weeks though, why have they not attacked?!" questioned Urahara

"Where there is presence of body, there is appearance of life!"

"The gigai?!" exclaimed Kensei

"As long as she remains in her gigai, they will not harm her, they _cannot_ harm her. Surprisingly though, they have not succeeded to lure her out of her gigai, Fate maybe?"

"You are intent upon sitting back and allowing such to happen?!"

"My son is protected, Masaki's children are protected, the other teenagers are protected, and even Isshin is protected. There is nothing more that requires my involvement, Fate has already decided for Miss Kuchiki; her fate lies with Fate, and Fate alone." In a fraction of a second, he found himself against the wall, his chair upon the ground, and the tip of Byakuya's zanpakuto pressed dangerously against the pulse in his neck. Byakuya's gigai lay 'dead' upon the carpet of his office, Urahara and Kensei standing next to it unfazed by the noble shinigami's actions.

"You will allow Miss Kuchiki to meet her death because she is a shinigami?" queried Urahara calmly; Byakuya was still too incensed to speak

"I will allow Miss Kuchiki to meet her Fate because it is my only guarantee that my son and the others remain protected. You could not defeat 3former captains; you have no chance against an army of captain-level Quincy's. And the Matsuyukisou Quincy's, they are captain-level Quincy's, all masters of their bankai and their hollow-self!"

"Bankai?!" "Hollow-self?! Shit…No-way!"

"Do you really think that after the birth of Shinigami-Quincy Kisshoten heir that the Matsuyukisou would not have adapted and adopted as well? The Matsuyukisou and Kokhabi have shikai and bankai forms to their bows, high ranking members all possess a hollow-self. They are the Quincy equivalent to the Visoreds! As for Kisshoten-sama, Soul Society stands no chance against _him_; not against a leader of the _holy trinity_, part Shinigami, part Quincy, part Hollow, but more importantly descended from all three. Anrui Kisshoten was the child of Byakuren Kisshoten and the shinigami Lieutenant Mika Kyouya. Anrui-sama first discovered that a Quincy bow also possesses two release forms, through that Quincy's are also able to perform konsou's, he also discovered a hollowfication technique. Every Kisshoten-sama since that descended from him has possessed both a Quincy bow, a shinigami zanpakuto and an inner-hollow. What choice do I have but to leave your sister to her fate! Soul Society has no chance against a Hollow-Shinigami-Quincy Leader with a bankai for both bow and zanpakuto. No chance at all, not when it cannot even defeat mere shinigami!"

"But Rukia…"

"…is a slave to her fate!" finished Ryuken for him, "Do what you must Kuchiki, but ultimately only Fate can save her; for the sake of my son and the other humans, my hands are tied"

"At least get an audience for me with Kisshoten-sama; that is not a disservice to the Matsuyukisou" requested Byakuya, sheathing his zanpakuto at last

"Give me until dusk tomorrow; I will inform you of the outcome then. With luck, or Fate, I will be able to present you before Kisshoten-sama," Promised Ryuken tiredly, adjusting the rim of his glasses. Byakuya nodded his thanks, and returning to his gigai, left with Urahara and Kensei.

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AN: Tada! Yeah so a lot of back-story in this, every point is important as will be seen in future chaps. I wrote this chap in one day! I'm soo proud of myself, on terms of creativity in mind and not in terms of writing skill and eloquence. I had Ryuken refer to his wife as just his wife since she has no name that Master Tite Kubo has given, so I thought it better that way instead of making up my own. The story behind Masaki is all my own, as well as to the death of Ryuken's wife, and reasons behind Masaki Kurosaki's death and Sōken Ishida's death (that Uryuu's granddad rmmbr pplz)

**Izanami is a god (Izanami-no-Mikoto), the god of creation and death.**

**You may have picked up on another Quincy group that I call the Kokhabi Raiden's, different from the Matsuyukisou in that they're not Quincy Assassins. They are one of the many points that is not only very important but will definitely come up in future chaps. **

**As for the **_**'holy trinity'**_** if you wish to comment on that bit of absurd brilliancy, please feel free. I personally think its not only brilliant but also would be totally cool, in my context at least. And even Aizen thinks its brilliant, well he will in future chaps that is. **

**Oh and I know this chapter was boring since it was basically all convo. But it was necessary, if only to express the most important point there is. That Kisshoten-sama is a total bad-ass, I mean how can you not be when you're a holy-trinity of the three main spiritual powerful beings. Aizen's Espada were defeated people, and the new antagonists on court are the Quincy's, this time my version, that is new and improved.**

**Oh and This is in Fact an UlquiRuki fic...I realise they haven't made too much of an appearance (if any), but don't worry. The next chapter – Chapter 1; Shinigami will go back to Byakuya (and Rukia too) but then after that Ulquiorra will make his appearance(*swoon*), itll be all Quiki goodness hehehe**

**Nehu 'til next time**

**P.S; sori for the long authors note…I'm crazy talkative from having not slept yet…urgh! Oh and review are appreciated, comments and suggestions worshipped!**


	5. Chapter 2 Part 1

**A.N: Sadly, I'm the kind of writer that ain't satisfied until I write **_**at least**_** 8pages until uploading, but now for the sake of frequent updates I'm disciplining myself to a max. 4pages to post. Delays have been due to assignments, and that this was originally going to be the following chapter. **

**I failed in keeping this to 4pages, it reached 6! Bugger; ill try harder next time**

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**Thank You**

_**Chapter 2; 1**__**st**__** Part – Quincy**_

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The second they arrived he went at them; backhanding one so that his body skidded along the ground. The other he launched himself at, pushing him into the wall, some 20ft behind them. Ulquiorra's left hand was squeezing at the twin's neck, his expression of cold indifference but the aura he was emitting was of pure undiluted rage.

"What do you think you were doing?!" he spoke slowly, menacingly, in a tone promising punishment if nothing but the truth was revealed.

Isunami – his cheek red and in the early stages of bruising – using hirenkyaku moved quickly towards his twin brother Sazanami and to Ulquiorra; his intent, to give Ulquiorra a bruise of equal but preferably greater damage. Their mellow and quiet blonde-haired counterpart, Hikari Taiin, with greater speed moved and stood blocking his ways.

Sazanami, with just as much vehemence as Ulquiorra, pushed him away causing him to back into Hikari, "What was _**I**_ doing?! The Mission of course! We could've had Her! She was just with that Inoue girl. We were going to lure her out of her gigai, summon Kisshoten-sama, distract her and anyone else until Kisshoten arrives and Kills the Shinigami!!!"

Ulquiorra hit him instantly with an impressive left hook, his expression though unchanged his aura was raging ever more angrily; Sazanami stumbled back and onto the ground. Isunami, in defence of his brother and payback for his bruising cheek, threw his own left hook, to which Ulquiorra dodged, only to be hit dead centre with the follow up right fist. Sazanami took this opportunity to launch off the ground, tackling Ulquiorra around his midsection successfully to the ground. Straddling Ulquiorra, he was able to get in one or two direct punches to his face until knocked off to the side by a painful blow to the ribs. Isunami, not to be outdone by his twin, slammed his whole weight down upon Ulquiorra, his elbow bruising into Ulquiorra's chest.

"What The Fuck?!" spoke the surprised gruff voice of Grimmjaw Jaegerjacques entering the sanctuary. Using sonido, he was instantly next to Hikari, who stood standing over the three as they brawled rolling over on the ground. Despite his surprise and confusion, he was utterly amused, after all Ulquiorra was rolling around on the ground, exchanging blows with the Uzume twins. Grimmjaw liked the twins the moment he had met them, now he liked them even more. While Ulquiorra's facial expression was per norm, his eyes at least showed how pissed off he was. Yes indeed, Grimmjaw was _utterly_ amused. "So..." he drawled, a devilish grin of amusement plastered on his face as he continued to watch the brawl, "What's this all about?!"

"Hmm?!" shrugged Hikari, "something and some other"

He snorted at that answer, then chuckled as Ulquiorra delivered a nice upper cut to one twin whilst being choker-held by the other, "Some assassins you all are," he spoke again, "no kido spells, no arrows flying..."

"There's no intent to kill. They just need to blow off some steam," replied Hikari unfazed by the heavy blows being exchanged

Grimmjaw openly laughed; Ulquiorra blowing off steam?! Ha! As if! He had to let things get to him and that required some level of emotion that he didn't think Ulquiorra was capable of. Well, at least he didn't use to think so. Ever since Ulquiorra was adopted and had tracked him down, Ulquiorra had been less '_emo'_ but still very much a bastard. That fact that Ulquiorra had even bothered to track him down, had surprised Grimmjaw, and it wasn't even about some bullshit concerning Aizen or even Ulquiorra's new fam-bam, the Matsuyukisou. Ulquiorra had found him, for the only purpose to find him, well at least that was what he knew.

"WHAT THE HELL?!!!!" exclaimed a voice from behind them. He stood at the doorway, his mouth hanging open, his shaggy brown hair even more of a mess. At just 17, Yukizora Tsurara, was the youngest member, and besides Ulquiorra the most recent member of the Matsuyukisou Assassins. He lost his family when he was just five to a group of Hollows. Not of Quincy blood, but a commoner like Hikari, he had always been spiritually aware. It had cost him his family and nearly his own life if not for Kisshoten-sama. Now, here he stood, and before his eyes, two of his fellow brother's-in-arms were attacking Kisshoten-sama's younger brother. "You're crazy! Get off him you two! Ulquiorra-sama?!" he shouted moving quickly to them to try and pull them all apart, but Grimmjaw stopped him from interfering.

"They're just blowing off steam!" stated Grimmjaw seriously, almost in a bored tone

"But Ulquiorra-sama?!"

"...is just the same! He wants to throw some punches just as much as receive some. He could've ended this long ago but instead he continued it. He wants the pain, Zora, as well as serving it; it'll be over soon enough," answered Grimmjaw now more curious about Ulquiorra's predicament than amused.

Zora remained unconvinced, but did not and could not interfere; Grimmjaw had known Ulquiorra longer, and because he was Ulquiorra-sama's friend – of sorts – he was also senior in rank, therefore could call the shots. Hikari was also senior to him and looked nowhere near to interfering, and so Zora had no choice but to watch and pray that Kisshoten-sama didn't walk through the entrance and catch them all out.

The fighting soon came to an end; they each rolled away from one another, out of breath and in pain. Ulquiorra was the first to raise himself from the floor and stand; hiding any and all difficulties in doing so. His hair was even more of messy, there was a cut above one eye bleeding steadily, his nose was broken, and his left cheek was cut, the other bruised and swollen. His bottom lip was cut and bleeding as well, his neck was bruising and going by his posture Grimmjaw could tell there was a couple of bruised and broken ribs in the mix also.

The twins were no different; still upon the ground struggling for breath both of Sazanami's eyes were swollen, one already fully closed over, his nose was screwed and bleeding heavily, a large bump on his forehead, rib damage, a dislocated arm and bruised and swollen knuckles completed his package. Isunami's eyes were spared but an eyebrow had a deep cut, his nose was seriously broken and bleeding, his lips were swollen and cut, a couple of broken fingers and bruised and swollen knuckles, and his left knee had managed to be dislocated. Overall they were a heaving mess, literally, they were all breathing heavily each trying to hold his own body together without grimacing; Ulquiorra was the only one able to mask his pain.

Grimmjaw was impressed, despite hierro, they were able to break through using their reiatsu to coat each blow and do some serious damage; he watched, further impressed as the twins popped their dislocated limbs back into place. Hikari healed all other injuries they possessed; Ulquiorra's own regeneration was kicking in for him. "Now that that's out of your systems; start Explaining!"

"Ask that Trinity-bastard over there! He was the one that went at us, and pretty much dragged us away from completing the mission."

"There was no chance of completion, Byakuya Kuchiki and the little blonde visored were present," stated Hikari

"Whatever! It's almost as if you don't want that Shinigami killed!" blurted Isunami without thinking. Grimmjaw caught Hikari's raised eyebrow directed at Ulquiorra, communicating to him that it was now time to explain.

"Rukia Kuchiki must not die" answered Ulquiorra simply, earning him wide eyes and hanging jaws from the Uzume twins and disbelief and concern from Zora, Hikari was calm and patiently waiting for the following explanation; surprisingly, Grimmjaw was quiet, his expression indiscernible. "Despite the majority motion ordering the execution of her, there is no logic to justify killing her."

An unnatural silence followed his explanation, even more unnatural considering the Uzume twins and Grimmjaw Jaegerjacques were within the same room. The Uzume twins continued to stare at him wide eyed, and mouth gaping even wider; slowly, ever so slowly his words sunk in, turning over in their mind. They closed their mouths, both turning their head to look at the other, a glint of shared understanding flashed across their eyes and a mischievous grin grew. "Hmm, yep so I'm assuming we'll be protecting this shinigami girl…what's her name?!" quipped Sazanami

"Miss Something Rotten-wood, I believe!" answered Isunami, nodding his head and trying in vain to keep his expression deep and intense. Grimmjaw rolled his eyes, fully aware of what must have passed through their dirty-little-mischievous-prankster-minds. '_Idiots think Ulquiorra has a thing for the shinigami, Ha! Its only ever orders and or logic with him, surely they realised that by now!'_ thought Grimmjaw.

"Kuchiki," answered Ulquiorra tightly, his eyes glaring coldly at the twins and their idiotic sense of humour. "Her name is Rukia Kuchiki," he corrected them in a serious but monotonous tone, the twins just shared a cheeky look before returning their attention to Ulquiorra and nodding fervently whilst grinning even more idiotically, Grimmjaw didn't hold back in rolling his eyes again and scoffing at them.

"So you intend to go against the orders? Have you spoken with Kisshoten-sama, surely there's a way to change the punishment or something?" Zora questioned quietly, his gaze worried

"That conversation has been had, numerous times. The order cannot and will not, be retracted. We will protect her until an order of greater importance is given that would override the Kuchiki-mission," answered Ulquiorra simply, earning another bout of silence.

"Wait! So let's get this straight; we're gonna protect her, _secretly_, until some other order comes along?!" The disbelief in Sazanami's voice evident

"That could take forever! It's bad enough that we've been here for the last 3weeks!" whined Isunami, put-off with the prospect of an indefinite stay. Then suddenly his face was still and shocked, as if he had been backhanded again, "It was YOU!" he yelled accusingly, bolting up, his finger close to Ulquiorra's face pointing at him.

Ulquiorra hit his hand away, "Aizen, Ichimaru and Tosen are still at large; it will not be long until they reveal some part of their new plan; once that happens we will inform the Council. Our order would then be changed to target the shinigami traitors, and Rukia will be forgotten."

It didn't escape the twins or anyone else that Ulquiorra had just referred to the shinigami by her given name, _only_! The twins did not bother to hide their cheeky grins, "Count us in!" they both chorused in a singsong tone. Hikari nodded his involvement, he had been uneasy about the assignment since the beginning; she seemed not guilty enough to justify assassination. Grimmjaw also nodded his involvement; they'd be up against the rest of the Matsuyukisou if they were ever discovered to be protecting her, but hell, secretly protecting the target would sure kill his boredom, so why not!

"No wonder we've been here for so long, you've been protecting that Shinigami since the beginning," exclaimed Isunami more to himself, "so…" his attention directed back to Ulquiorra, "What makes you think Aizen etc. will reveal themselves soon, we've been here for nearly a month and nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Well at least nothing that we weren't responsible for!"

"It's been the plan all along hasn't it?" questioned Zora, "It made no sense to me…I mean we could've killed her in just the first day. Plus, we're all here even Kisshoten, when only a pair could've been sent like usual, since she really isn't even Lieutenant-level. I brushed that off because of the friends she keeps but then it made no sense to continue to reveal ourselves, I mean giving off a burst of reiatsu every time we release or convert, that made no sense after she was sent here, it was just begging for Captains to be sent also."

"Indeed," answered Hikari, "It is obvious that Captains were meant to follow, the Council and Kisshoten are taking advantage of the mission to draw out Aizen by fracturing the Gotei 13. Kisshoten is bound to the orders, as are the others; technically we're not truly bound since we haven't really been initiated."

"Wait! What the fuck d'you mean, you're Matsuyukisou assassins like the rest of them aren't you?!" questioned Grimmjaw staring incredulously at them all.

"Well yes, but true Matsuyukisou are initiated, you have to go through the Setsugekka ritual, survive that you'll gain a Hollow-self, lose you'll become a Hollow and be killed instantly. None of us are ready for the ritual yet, you must have already achieved bankai to be eligible to undergo the ritual," answered Zora

"It's a good thing too; you can't disobey an order once you've been through the ritual," noted Sazanami

"Yeah there's a part in the ritual that creates a link to Kisshoten-sama, makes you absolutely loyal and obedient. Which means the others can't and won't help and if they find out, they'll kill us; even Kisshoten's bound though I don't know whom to. We're pretty much the only one's with free will," continued Isunami

"Yep, luckily for us we've got Iorra, and you and Kano. If we get caught we've got more of a fighting chance against them with your Hollow and Shinigami powers," finished Saz

"Where _is_ Kano-sama?" queried Zora

"Watching over Rukia and the human, to ensure she remains in her body," answered Ulquiorra. He was suddenly very tired he knew only Hikari, the twins and Zora would be the only help he could recruit and though he'd never admit it, let alone show it, he was grateful that they agreed to help him so willingly; but they didn't understand, couldn't understand how serious he was, how far he was willing to go. They would be going against their orders, against their family, and it would not be long before the rest of the Matsuyukisou discovered what they were really doing, then there would be hell to pay.

It was easy to drop all loyalty to Aizen, he had thought he had died, should have died since he failed his mission, he was Aizen's most loyal soldier but even then still disposable, one failure was one to many. It was the Matsuyukisou though that taught him otherwise; though Aizen had given him back his reason, his control, had given him power and freedom from the oppression that Shinigami allowed befall upon his kind, the Matsuyukisou gave him true freedom true power.

Before he had been a soldier, loyal but nevertheless expendable, but now with the Matsuyukisou he was a brother, a comrade, loyalty given and returned. Yet here he was willing to betray that loyalty, betray most of his family and encourage his younger brothers in this betrayal in order to protect that Shinigami, Rukia Kuchiki. He would betray them, and they would have no choice but to kill him, obstructing the completion of an order would sign his death warrant and that of the brothers he has just recruited. They would have to kill their brothers…their family, or be killed themselves; the others would not be able to help it, though they might be against it, orders and missions are ingrained into their soul, there is no escape except death. Be killed by our brothers or kill them, those were the only outcomes in this, and Ulquiorra knew it; the price in protecting Rukia Kuchiki, the price though he wished it not to be so, he still would pay.

If Aizen did not strike first, if they were discovered before Aizen revealed himself, he would fight against his brothers, he would kill them, even kill Kisshoten if he had to, if it meant she would remain protected, remain alive; he would do so.

"There's no going back, stand with me you stand against our brothers, against Kisshoten and the Council Elders. Stand with me, you stand against them, willing to fight if necessary, willing to _kill_," spoke Ulquiorra, his cold monotonous voice echoed with conviction. An unearthly silence descended upon them, no mischievous grin shared by the twins, their expressions were grave and more worried than Zora's. Ulquiorra was deadly serious, serious enough to kill Kisshoten, _when_, not _if_ it came to it; standing with Iorra they'd have to fight against their brothers-in-arms, they'd have to kill them, kill their grandfather who is an Elder…kill Kisshoten-sama.

"This is some deep shit!" muttered Isunami, "Mariana Trench deep shit!" exclaimed Sazanami, they shared a sad but serious look before announcing together; "We're still in. We'll do it!"

"What ever happens Ulquiorra, we'll stand by you on this one," announced Sazanami earnestly, Isunami stood beside him nodding his assurance as well. Ulquiorra gave them the slightest of nods in reply, he knew they were serious and would stand by him through this; they only ever called him Ulquiorra when the situation was serious, and this situation was beyond serious.

Ulquiorra turned his attention to Hikari; Hikari had been following silently these last 3weeks, helping him protect her since her arrival a fortnight ago, and not questioning his actions; of the four Quincy's before him Hikari was the oldest, and understood the gravity of the situation if it were to take a wrong turn. A simple nod was all he needed from Hikari Taiin; he needed no further reassurance to the young man's loyalty. Hikari held his gaze and nodded, it was the flicker in his eyes that showed the depth of his allegiance, Ulquiorra gave him an almost imperceptible nod in return, a show of his thanks. He then turned his attention to Zora, he wouldn't be able to succeed protecting her, succeed hiding their efforts of protecting her from the others without Zora's help, and ironically Zora's allegiance would be the hardest to sway.

"The mission doesn't seem right to me either, but…betraying Kisshoten-sama, I…I…how can you do this to Kisshoten-sama, I don't understand brother. If it wasn't for Kisshoten-sama you would probably be dead or worse the Shinigami would have found you and you would have been given up to that Captain of theirs to be experimented on. You're alive and our kyoudaibun, our…friend thanks to Kisshoten-sama; how can you so easily betray your own family!" exclaimed Zora, his desperation to understand, to be calm laced in his voice, "How can you do this to Kisshoten-sama?!" he exhaled sharply, dropping to the ground emotionally exhausted.

"It is necessary!" answered Ulquiorra in reply

"_Why_…" whispered Zora so quietly, so sadly, if Ulquiorra's attention was not totally focused on the youth he probably would not have heard.

Ulquiorra walked away from him, giving him the space and time needed for him to decide, he paused at the doorway, turning his head slightly to the side to answer, "Rukia Kuchiki must not die"

'…_is she your mission?_' finished Zora quietly to himself that Ulquiorra did not hear.

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**AN: Okay so yeah if you hadn't noticed I ended this the same way as Prologue 1, well, as close as possible. And yea Grimmjaw is in this fic for the only reason I can't see Ulquiorra without at least the appearance of Grimmjaw if you know what I mean, Qui just ain't Qui without Grimm. Nehu yeah I mentioned a bit that Ashido Kano is in this too, that'll be up in later chaps. This is to balance out with all my OC's, that way I can just focus things around existing characters instead of getting sidetracked with others.**

**I hinted to something very important in this that maybe someone has caught onto, if not oh well, its very important to the overall story plot and will probably be revealed at the end, if you don't manage to figure things throughout further chaps. **

**I realised I mentioned in the previous chapter that Ulquiorra wouldn't show up until at least 2chaps after, but hey this chapter just worked out like this, thankfully, since really he's a vital character. Oh yea and just to clarify by '**_**others'**_** I meant the other Matsuyukisou assassins, if you can recall the number from Prologue 1, **_**others**_** amounts to 6other Quincy Assassins excluding Kisshoten-sama; as for the 'brother' thing that's self explanatory. '**_Kyoudaibun_**' means sworn brother.**

**Please review I'd really like to know your thoughts on the story or the quality of my writing or questions even, reviews are really appreciated and will be replied to.**

**Oh and the next two chapters are already complete, I'll post them up depending on this chaps reviews**

'**til next time**


	6. Chapter 2 Part 2

**A.N: DOUBLE UPDATE FOR C2 - Here you go Chap 2 P2. I've changed the character summary again back to Byakuya Rukia, it'll go back to Ulquiorra Rukia once my chapters actually catch up to that Drama. And I'm trying to return to naming it properly, Part's mean they are either concerning the same thing, occurring at the same time, or a continuation of the same thing from the other POV.**

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Thank You

_**Chapter 2; 2**__**nd**__** Part – Quincy**_

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Ryuken ran his hand through his hair gruffly, exhaling sharply, glad that the shinigami had left (though technically only one was a shinigami, the other two were former); he walked away from his desk, flicking off the lights in his office. Instead of leaving, he remained; walking to the window to look at Karakura Town, the numerous lights glittering through the darkness gave off an eerie silhouette to the buildings and houses. With one hand stuffed in his pocket, he placed his other onto the glass, its chilling coldness sending shivers down his spine.

"You're cold!" she stated simply, concern evident in the tone of her voice. He did not hear her come in, but could now sense her presence drawing closer to him. Her arms snaked around his waist, her body pressing into his back, the warmth of her seeping through his shirt sending shivers this time of warmth down his spine. She pressed herself closer to him, her chin resting on his shoulder. They stayed like that for some time, he as he was and she embracing him from behind, comforting him with the warmth of her body, communicating to him that he was not alone in this darkness that was enveloping them.

"They just left," he spoke breaking the comfortable silence; he was answered with a simple _'Oh!'_ , he could not stop the smile that spread across his lips at her simple encouragement to continue talking. "They met with four," he felt her stiffen and shift slightly behind him.

"Four?" she echoed, confusion in her voice and then, "I see!"

"They did not mention him, therefore we can guess he kept his identity hidden," he continued, "It would have been a much different scene if they had realised he is Aizen's former Cuatro Espada". She answered with an '_hmm_'; "The Shinigami Captain has demanded an audience"

"With the Council, it will never be granted," she answered simply, the Council had never been one easily swayed in matters connected to Soul Society.

"No. Only with the **King**" he clarified, he felt her stiffen again, in shock he surmised, "Such an audience can never happen, though they needn't know that." He felt her smile, so he continued, "Ulquiorra's presence instead, would not be a total deception"

"No indeed," she answered with a smile, "he is just as much the _King_ as the real King! Anrui would be perfect for the job, though the question of his safety is the only issue needing attention." He smiled; Ulquiorra Kisshoten, former Cuatro Espada, commonly known by his nicknames Iorra or Anrui; Anrui being the Japanese equivalent of his name. He had already informed them of that Shinigami Lieutenants Kisshoten offspring, Anrui; it would be easy enough to trick them to think that Anrui i.e. Ulquiorra was the King.

"What of your meeting, did it pan out as planned?"

"Yes, it could not have gone any more perfectly. They were too occupied with my…mental state, to realise the loopholes and gaps in my tale." She laughed at the image he presented to her, a mental unsound Ryuken Ishida; her laughter shaking her body slightly that he could feel it through her embrace. He was proud of himself and his performance, yes his wife's death had affected him, would always affect him, but he had got his revenge by destroying the former King and he at least had 10years with her, the best years of his life. They hadn't realised the gap in his story; the large 9year-9month gap between the casting of the Izanami spell and his own wife's death. "They believe I am helpless against the order, they believe I am just as much a victim," he chuckled lightly at that.

"There is not much to worry about is there," she whispered reassuringly into his ear

"No I guess not, Rukia was posted solo as expected because of her knowledge of the Human World and the old man's unwillingness to send a stronger unit in case of Aizen, Kuchiki and Soi-Fon got posted also as expected. Soi-Fon because of the Onmitsukido and Kuchiki because of our target; I know they will hide the truth from the teens but soon enough it will be out, and other higher ups with follow. They will leave Soul Society for Karakura Town to aid her."

"The Gotei 13 will be fractured because of that girl" her voice slightly in awe

Ryuken chuckled, "Yes, that girl, there's something about her that gains her such a loyalty amongst those close."

"Yes and it has nothing to do with power, or fear, or even anything sexual," Ryuken chuckled at that last part, if Rukia looked even a little bit like the woman embracing him then sexual could be a factor but as it stood there was nothing sexually appealing about the girl. "Ryuken, seriously now, she does not even use a spell to ensure loyalty," she stated quite incredulously, "it is just her mere presence, her…friendship"

"Yes, odd don't you think?"

She laughed at that, "Odd no, definitely not odd, it's quite…beautiful really" her voice finishing quietly, her lips ghosting into a smile as her hands unconsciously loosened around him. He turned silently, removing his hand from his pocket to bring back and snake around her waist bringing her in front of him, her back resting against the cold glass. He removed his other hand from the windowpane, unconsciously leaning into her, pressing her closer to the glass with his body; his cold fingers traced that ghost of a smile upon her lips.

"Beautiful…yes, beautiful," he replied, she finally looked up, her warm gaze meeting his. She was beautiful, too beautiful; it was sinful really, if he was honest with himself. "It is _you_ that is odd"

She laughed, and even her laughter was beautiful, "and how is it that I am odd," she teased him

"You cannot be beautiful because you are much more beautiful, too beautiful really, therefore if you are not beautiful you must be odd." She laughed again for him, her body shaking making him suddenly aware that he was pressed closely to her, too closely, he stepped back from her and she sobered.

His arm still wrapped around her waist, a hand against her cheek, but there was still a distance between them, more noticeable now that the chill in the office settled into their skin with the warmth of one another's body gone. "Maybe my mental state really is questionable I'm spouting nonsense."

She chuckled this time, "At least it is cute nonsense and not…odd nonsense," she teased, smiling up at him, they held each other's gaze in companionable silence. "It is late, Ryuken, are you going home to your son or staying to work."

"Staying," he answered walking away from her to the wall, pushing against it slightly the hidden door slid open for him; he turned back and stretched out his hand to her.

She moved to him taking his hand and halted next to him before entering into the hidden room, "Work?"

"Work," he answered with a smile

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AN; This is not even 4pages but 3, I tried too hard I think, maybe that's better improvement, maybe…Is this too short? Nehu, yep totally a Ryuken Ishida chap. Obviously sometime during the 3wks since the audience in Prologue1 until the present time in the story he learnt of Ulquiorra as the former Cuatro Espada.

**Please review ra, questions, comments, criticism whichever; I really appreciate reviews even short ones, coz its seriously annoying seeing how many view the story and yet didn't bother reviewing.**

**Nehu**

'**til next time**


	7. Chapter 2 Part 3

**A.N: DOUBLE UPDATE (C2); WARNING**_** - swearing in this.**_** – Here's Part 3; & if it was given a proper name I'd probably have called this chapter, 'The Situation' or something along those boring lines. Hopefully this chap ain't as boring as it would've been named. Oh and yea obviously I don't own bleach, no money is made from this yada yada yada, Matsuyukisou etc. and other OCs are my own invention. And don't forget to review ra.**

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Thank You

_**Chapter 2; 3**__**rd**__** Part – Shinigami**_

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It was dark enough for them to shunpo back to the Shoten even in their gigai's, but instead the three silently agreed to walk back, savour the time to themselves to mull over everything that occurred in their interview with Ryuken Ishida. Though the roads were fairly busy, the walkways were deserted, most humans had long ago left their workplace and were either cuddled up at home or heading there. It was early spring and the night air was chilly enough to remind of winter.

"We're fucked!" spoke Kensei, breaking the silence, "I never thought the kid would have survived! I mean come on! A Shinigami-Quincy half breed, half living and half dead, what the hell does that make it?! And of _all_ the Quincy men, it had to be their damn _**King**_! What the hell was Mika thinking?! We're fucked I tell you!" he exclaimed loudly, turning to them his eyes challenging them to deny the truth of his words. "Ishida was right! We couldn't defeat Aizen, what chance do we have against an assassin-trained King descended from 200years worth of Visored-Quincy blood?!

"I do not believe our situation is _that_ dire," answered Urahara, quite jovially considering the predicament

"If the Matsuyukisou deem a shinigami dangerous enough to send their own after, nothing can be done" spoke Kensei totally ignoring Urahara's annoying grin, "The Sotaichou will not side with you Byakuya," he spoke seriously locking gazes with the nobleman, "Soul Society cannot and _will not_ speak out against a Matsuyukisou order, it will result in a war. Considering their King, the Quincy have the upper hand this time,"

"Are you suggesting then, _Muguruma_," Byakuya's voice cold and menacing, "that I should just step aside and allow them to kill Rukia?! Soul Society may turn a blind eye, but I will **not**, even if I have to battle the Quincy's alone!"

"You won't be alone, those damn stubborn kids will no doubt be standing right beside you! Hell!, I'll be standing right there next to you, but understand this Byakuya, _you_ may declare yourself separate from Soul Society, but the Matsuyukisou will not see it so. You are a shinigami - rogue or Soul Society patriot - there will _still_ be a war!" answered Kensei in all seriousness

"Then there will be a war!" proclaimed Urahara in nonchalance, "We must therefore prepare for that! I suggest we hurry back; my fingers are quite chilled. We'll inform the others and then decide what we'll tell the kids" spoke Urahara in a feigned motherly manner. They used shunpo for the remaining distance to the Shoten; retelling the meeting with Ryuken and explaining the situation to the others. Tessai left just before midnight to take over Urahara's midnight-8am patrol time, allowing Urahara to explain again to Yoruichi and the others returning from patrol.

"What have you decided to tell Ichigo and the others?!" questioned Soi-Fon after the update

"Everything, minus the part that Rukia is the main and only target, it would be easier and safer to let them think that they are all targets," answered Urahara having decided that already with Byakuya, the returnees nodded in approval. The last thing they needed was for those kids to go up against the Matsuyukisou head on, their massacre would be unnecessary. Soul Society was another matter; they would not be able to contact Soul Society or the Sotaichou until the usual allocated time at the end of the next week, which gave them a week to do whatever they could.

Byakuya was anxious for an audience with the Quincy King, and even more anxious for a favourable outcome if he was able to talk with the Quincy King. He spent another night awake, continuously going over all the reports to try to ascertain how many Matsuyukisou Quincy were in Karakura, and mulling over everything he knew about the Matsuyukisou.

Byakuya returned to the apartment early in the morning to change and escort the girls to the Shoten; he had to some how instruct Rukia never to leave her gigai, without drawing suspicion from her, which was likely, she was a smart girl. The steaming water eased some of the tension throughout his body, but it could not alleviate his anxiety, a meeting with the Quincy King is the only shining hope for them. If Ryuken failed to get him an audience with Kisshoten, they would have no choice but to stand against an army of greater power than Aizen's force from the Winter War. At least in the Winter War, Soul Society also stood fighting, Byakuya was doubtful that the Sotaicho would stand with them against the Matsuyukisou. Rukia's only hope was this meeting, a meeting that was not even certain of happening; Byakuya hated being powerless, the occasions were rare, Hisana' illness and subsequent death was one of those occasions, and now this. His one and only glimmer of hope for Rukia relied on the success of a man, who has never been patriotic to his own kind, and whose hands were just as tied as his own.

Mindlessly he changed, the neatly folded white cardigan upon his bed unnoticed, he slipped out of his bedroom and began to cook a quick breakfast; scurrying and noise notified him that the girls were awake. They ate quickly…wordlessly, and walked to the Shoten just the same.

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"WHAT THE FU…!!!"

"ICHIGO!" reprimanded Rukia interrupting him from finishing that sentence. He scowled at her, but his expression quickly softened to obvious worry and frustration at the predicament, Aizen and his Espada were one thing, but now they were up against Quincy assassins _on top_ of Aizen.

He took a deep breath, and then for extra measure took a couple more before speaking again, "So…who exactly are these Matsuyukisou guys, I mean I thought Uryuu and his dad were the only Quincy's left since the war," he said glancing toward Uryuu

"Obviously not; I was always of the belief the Matsuyukisou were wiped out in the war as well. My grandfather did mention them many times, they were the royalty of our kind, the noble eight, the leader of the Matsuyukisou, a Kisshoten, was…_is_ the King of all Quincy's," he said glancing to Urahara and the other Shinigami, Urahara nodded to him to continue explaining the Matsuyukisou. "Well you see the Matsuyukisou was always a separate group from the main Quincy population, not only because they were nobles but because their movement was that of assassins, punishers to wrongdoers and high powered Hollows. Their main and only purpose was to retain the balance in the world, punishing any and all that threatened to or was upsetting that balance. They were the most powerful of all Quincy's because of their noble blood."

"What is the big deal about them being noble? So what, it all just started with some guy declaring himself as King of an area, and proclaiming his family as noble, their blood is no different from yours" retorted Ichigo, scowling more, the note of reverence in Uryuu's voice for these so-called noble had not escaped his notice.

"But it is different, from mine and any other Quincy that's existed. The Matsuyukisou were the first ever Quincy's and therefore," stated Uryuu

"The first?!" exclaimed Urahara, Kensei and even Soi-Fon at once, interrupting him. They had always known of the Matsuyukisou, before the war it was taught in the Shinigami Academy, one single class conducted by the Sotaichou himself, it detailed that the Matsuyukisou were a group of highly skilled Quincy assassins, more dangerous than the Onmitsukido Corps, and if encountered were to be avoided at all cost. They knew the group to be old, but never reckoned they were responsible for the first order of Quincy's.

"Yes; 2000yrs now. The Matsuyukisou village was deep within the Northern forests, edged upon the hidden lake,"

"hidden lake?!" drawled Ichigo an eyebrow raised in amusement

"this is how it was told to me by my grandfather, you got a problem with that Kurosaki" he all but hissed back

"No, none at all, please continue" waving a hand in front, his scowl upturned into a smirk of amusement, Uryuu rolled his eyes, calming himself and continued

"The village was founded by 8warriors, their descendents making up the main families, the…"

"Kisshoten, Fubuki, Sagiri, Kangetsu, Hatsuyuki, Bosetsu, Jimo and Uzume" answered Kensei

Uryuu did a nice impersonation of Ichigo's scowl whilst adjusting his glasses, "If you know this story you are more than welcome to tell it," he said staring intently at Kensei and Urahara,

"We would if we did young Ishida, but we don't we were only ever informed that the Matsuyukisou were not to be crossed, as for the names of the families, we got that from your father. Continue the tale though; it may bring some deeper insight about the Matsuyukisou Order," responded Urahara, smacking Kensei across the head with his fan as a command to keep quiet.

"Yes well, you were right about all the families except one. Uhyou was the other family not Uzume. I don't recall ever hearing about the Uzume clan from my grandfather."

"Of course!" exclaimed Urahara, "The Uhyou clan were obviously wiped out in the war, The Matsuyukisou consist of eight, therefore must of promoted a lower clan to their ranks, therefore the Uzume Clan. Hmm…yes, well, continue Uryuu"

Uryuu rolled his eyes, "The most prominent family was the Kisshoten family; the head of the Kisshoten family was naturally the Chief of the Village. The Matsuyukisou weren't known as assassins then, they were just skilled warriors, especially in Archery. The main families were all very spiritually aware, they could see hollows and pluses but they couldn't harness spiritual energy to attack or defend against hollows, and pluses were at that time dealt with by a Kochou,"

"Huh, a kochou, a butterfly?!" exclaimed Ichigo

"A Kochou, it was the name applied to beings able to perform a konsou on pluses. This was before the time of Shinigami you see. They were usually spiritually powerful souls or humans. It is believed that the King of Soul Society told the 'spirit song' or konsou to souls in society who possessed strong reiryoku, they were able to summon hell butterflies and travel here to the Human World to perform the soul burial upon pluses. Humans with strong reiryoku were also taught the 'spirit song', which really is just a chant to initiate a konsou; these humans were commonly the shaman of a village. Once the old man started the Shin'ō Reijutsu Academy…the Shinigami Academy," Urahara clarified seeing Ichigo confusion, "training them into Shinigami, a konsou became a part of a Shinigami's zanpakuto and so the 'spirit song' was forgotten, humans that were Kochou eventually died and so the song was lost to history."

"Yes, and the Kochou of the Matsuyukisou was a Kisshoten," spoke Uryuu picking up his story

"so this Kisshoten, he was the first Quincy right?!" stated Kensei

"Not exactly, no! First thing, _he_ was in fact a _she_," continued Uryuu only to be interrupted, _again_, this time by Soi-Fon

"That's not possible; there is never a Kisshoten woman. Wives do not count they are of other families, the Kisshoten Clan does not have daughters. This Kisshoten you talk of is therefore not a Kisshoten, what was her maiden name?" The other shinigami's present, from the looks of them, were of the same thought as Soi-Fon.

"I don't know where you got that thinking from but she wasn't a wife; Setsuka Kisshoten was the eldest child,"

"She obviously wasn't his child, the wife must have slept with another man," answered Soi-Fon with conviction

"WHAT?! Damn It…just shut…ARGH!" he readjusted his glasses. "Setsuka Kisshoten was the eldest child of Byakuren Kisshoten, leader of the Matsuyukisou, she was the Kochou of the village; and the Kisshoten clan _**do**_ have daughters, there have been two other Kisshoten women after her that I know of," answered Uryuu through gritted teeth, he calmed himself down again, before continuing. "As I was saying, she started the Quincy movement, managing to coat her bow and arrow with her reiatsu, but it was her brother Anrui that first discovered the Quincy bow, drawing upon the reishii in the area. Anrui Kisshoten was the first Quincy, a pure Quincy."

"Anrui Kisshoten" echoed Byakuya, speaking for the first time since the start of the meeting. He shared a look with Urahara and Kensei, and thought to himself how ironic that the first ever Quincy, and subsequently the first Quincy King, a pure Quincy, was named Anrui, and that his descendent was the first ever half-caste Quincy, part Shinigami and also named Anrui; it _was_ ironic, as well as slightly coincidental, but most likely fated. The former, a pure Quincy, started the order; the latter obviously perfected it taking advantage of his Shinigami-side and the possibility of Hollow-powers, creating a new order, a perfect order. The Matsuyukisou now were a much deadlier group than those before the war and their King…their King was beyond even all of Aizen's creations combined.

He would not give up and give in, however Byakuya could not help but acknowledge that Fate had truly dealt them all a cruel hand.

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AN: I managed to stick to 4pages on this one, 3**rd**** times the charm (or something like that). It turned out alright IMO, please review ra**

**I gave away a lot of little titbits and something that wasn't really answered that'll all come together in future chaps, that's all I'll say on this matter. Again a lot of dialogue, which I think is much easier to explain actions or occurrences past or present, the effect of being a fan of Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes, yep, The Lost World, definitely! I totally loved that book…neways!) N.B; Anrui means silent tears, originally tried to decide between Anrui and Ketsurui (blood tears or bitter tears) but Anrui sounds more appropriate to match Ulquiorra. **

'**til next time**


	8. Chapter 2 Part 4

**A.N: Apologies for any spelling errors, or just plain wrong or missing word(s), I don't own Bleach, obviously. Don't forget to review…**

**Set around the same time as the previous 2chapters just later at night i suppose...nehu onwards**

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_**Chapter 2; 4**__**th**__** Part – Quincy**_

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Ulquiorra landed lightly upon the bedroom balcony, the doors were wide open, the silk curtains swaying in the chilly breeze, the waning moon shadowing his figure. He entered silently, his footsteps mere whispers in the deep night, he edged deeper into the room, the figure - his incentive for visiting at such a time – slumbered in the warmth the heavy blankets bestowed, shadowed also but by the hazed canopy that afforded as the only defence. His reiatsu non-existent, if not for the soft chilled cloud of his breath, his presence would have been invisible. He drew even closer to the head of the bed, a hand silently, so silently extracting itself from the pocket of his pants to part the canopy film.

The sharp ring of metal cutting through air startled him frozen, too fast for even his reflexes, against his throat pressed the sharp blade of a zanpakuto, its pure beauty glowing in the shadowed darkness of the room illuminating his features and the startling emerald of his eyes.

"Brother," the grip upon the weapon loosened; Ulquiorra dropped to his knees, his head bowed

"Kisshōten-sama," he answered, almost in apology, almost

The ruffling of blankets broke the eeriness of the night; the figure rose from the bed, zanpakuto still in hand, passing Ulquiorra and moving towards the open balcony doors. Ulquiorra turned and watched; Kisshōten-sama stood just out of reach from the moonlight washed upon the balcony, the glowing zanpakuto clasped tightly, the pressure it enforced in the room was gravity defying, pressing down on every one of his muscles forcing him to draw out some of his reiatsu to keep himself from buckling. After a long moment the zanpakuto was finally sealed, Ulquiorra took this as the cue to speak but Kisshōten turned back around and so he held his tongue.

"Tsch…one day Anrui, you will address me properly as a younger brother should and not like a…a servant. Was it necessary to see me at such a time, little brother or not, this better be good," even in the darkness Ulquiorra could note the startling emerald eyes so like his own.

"Ishida-sama informed me earlier today of the plans in regards to the meeting with the Kuchiki Captain. I have not been able to understand the purpose, pretending to be you will serve to no advantage, as Matsuyukisou our faces are shielded there is therefore no logic."

"None that you can see, little brother. You will do as ordered, it is not that great a fallacy; you are a Kisshōten therefore"

"But I am not"

"An Arrancar anymore," interrupted Kisshōten-sama, "so stop acting like you have not yet mastered all your faculties. You will attend the meeting with the Kuchiki Captain, you will neither confirm nor deny your position as 'Kisshōten-sama', you will listen to his plea and then confirm to him that our mission, our _target_ will remain so."

"There is no logic in this mission, we will gain nothing by killing Rukia; she is just,"

"The Key" interrupted Kisshōten-sama again. "In order to flush out Aizen before he has prepared another army, he must assume that it is safe for his appearance. That can only be achieved if he believes his main enemy is disadvantaged, the girl is the key to that; her execution fractured Soul Society before, it can do so again."

"This order is only to draw out Aizen"

"Yes. The humans have not been informed that the girl is the real and only target, they will learn of that eventually, as will the Gotei 13, Kuchiki will, no doubt, not stand by and allow for such an execution and besides the humans others within the Gotei 13 will also side with him against us. The Gotei 13 _will_ be fractured, Aizen will take advantage of that, thus the reason we are _all_ present within this town."

"So this order is just a scam"

"No of course not, she will be killed regardless of the Aizen ordeal. She is the target, as ordered"

"There is no logic to do so…Kisshōten-sama"

"She has broken many laws, little brother, and will be dealt with accordingly. She is the order; as a Kisshōten and the future King you"

"I am not…" interrupted Ulquiorra

"…an Arrancar anymore," interrupted Kisshōten-sama coldly ignoring Ulquiorra's attempt again to deny himself a true Kisshōten, "you are Lord Ulquiorra Anrui Kissh ōten of the Matsuyukisou, heir-apparent to the Quincy throne." She will be you first mission brother; I have already informed the Elders and the others, you and you alone will deliver the 'killing blow' to Rukia Kuchiki."

Ulquiorra had no plans of allowing this order to carry through, let alone by his own hands, "I never raise my zanpakuto against…trash unworthy to be killed," he gave in reply

"Very good little brother," he was answered with a smile, a chilling smile, "for you will not 'kill' her with your zanpakuto; you will _destroy_ her with your shinzui-yumi. Keep in mind little brother; all targets are destroyed by bow never killed by our zanpakuto. The zanpakuto is merely an advantage in skill and power to us; we are not like shinigami, no order is '_cleansed'_. You will destroy her soul little brother _that_ is your order."

Ulquiorra stood silent in the darkness; the sharp ring of metal ripping through air, this time, forced his instincts to move him. Kisshōten-sama's zanpakuto, re-released came crashing down where he stood, it swiped out against him again, "Release, little brother. We are both awake we might as well train, you needn't worry about detection the stones of this house quash reiatsu from outside detection. Release, little brother, I will not hesitate to force you."

Ulquiorra quickly dodged again as Kisshōten swiped closer, "Bind, Mur"

"Wrong!" called out Kisshōten loudly, the blade swinging closely and just nicking Ulquiorra's neck, "Release, little brother, I will not _ask_ again." Ulquiorra jumped away, landing on the opposite side of the room, "don't tell me you've forgotten the call, little brother," taunted Kisshōten-sama moving instantly to his side, the zanpakuto handle punched into Ulquiorra's stomach, making him cough blood, "RELEASE!" commanded Kisshōten-sama again

"_Bound in Demon Blood_," intoned Ulquiorra dodging a swipe to his neck. "_Breathe into my arrows_," he continued moving away again from a blast sent his way, the pillows of the bed exploded into a snowfall of feathers, "_and Shadow my bow_," he moved back from another blow but was caught by a deep cut across his back, he gritted his teeth quelling the urge to cry out. The pain was nothing new but it was the icy jolt of fire searing at the wound bringing to mind every other moment of pain he has every felt before, a trait of Kisshōten's zanpakuto. Ulquiorra leant against the wall, his vision clouding with pain of the present and past, his breath ragged his body breaking out in cold sweat from the onslaught, he gritted his teeth and called out clear and chillingly, "_**Gisei kara Tamashi**_ "

A flash of bright colourless light engulfed the room until finally clearing as if never occurring, "Tsch…about time little brother. I don't quite like that little light show of yours. Shall we get started then," Ulquiorra merely stared back coldly, he could still feel the pain from the wound in his back which his regeneration was not healing as quickly as it ought to, his mind was still faintly buzzing with the pain from past battles. "Let's begin then, _**Gisei no Tamashi**__"_ Kisshōten's deathly glowing zanpakuto transforming instantly into the shinzui-yumi

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The curse and gift of the Kisshōten family, every Kisshōten possessed the same shinzui-yumi and zanpakuto, _Gisei no Tamashi_, the same soul for either soul weapon. Every Kisshōten received his shinzui-yumi/zanpakuto from the previous Kisshōten – father, grandfather; Ulquiorra was no different, receiving his shinzui-yumi from Kisshōten-sama.

He had not understand at first how two different soul weapons could be of one spiritual soul, he could not understand how _every_ Kisshōten could possess the same spiritual soul. Even amongst shinigami, family members always had different zanpakuto, complementary maybe, but never _exactly_ the same, never _the_ same. Not until Kisshōten-sama had given him his shinzui-yumi, he had assumed like his previous knowledge on Quincy, that his Quincy cross would be devised by himself, however instead he was given the broken half of Kisshōten-sama's shinzui-yumi, once upon him it had reformed to one whole piece, and Kisshōten's had also repaired. This was the method of the Kisshōten family; this was the method of all of the noble eight of the Matsuyukisou; a curse and a gift.

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Ulquiorra lay upon the ruined bed buried in ripped fabric and the white feathers that were once the cushioning in the pillows. He was panting, but in silence, despite the screaming pain his body was in, he kept silent, kept his expression neutral…blank…emotionless. Regardless of the turmoil his body and mind was in, he would not let such weakness show, he would not even acknowledge its existence within him. The canopy was ripped apart, and like the ceiling, it was splattered with blood…his own blood.

"You are an Idiot, little brother, it is no wonder you are being punished" said Kisshōten-sama simply.

Ulquiorra turned his head towards the voice; Kisshōten-sama stood looking over him, _Gisei no Tamashi _released and pulsating with such pressure that it was furthering Ulquiorra's discomfort. His own shinzui-yumi, _Gisei kara Tamashi _is the complement of _Gisei no Tamashi_. Like all Matsuyukisou shinzui-yumi the upper-limb was longer than the lower-limb, extending far above his own height likethe bows used in the sport Kyudo except the limbs of his spirit-bow were blade-like, pitch black like that of his zanpakuto unlike Kisshōten's which was a pure crystal-clear color, like ice or diamonds.

_Gisei no Tamashi _sealed away, Ulquiorra was finally relieved from the pressure of its reiatsu looked up into Kisshōten-sama's eyes. Kisshōten looked back, but not truly at him, with a look of deep melancholy.

Ulquiorra now understood the expression of describing one's eyes as the windows to the soul. He did not like the melancholy he could see in Kisshōten's soul, it's cause deeper than the injuries given to Ulquiorra; a melancholy ingrained, sewed into the fabric of Kisshōten-sama's soul. Ulquiorra turned away, unable to stand such a sight, he stared absently at the ceiling stained with the dark red of his ink. "Punished?"

"For one of logic and reason, how could you not have seen?" answered Kisshōten. Ulquiorra continued to stare absently at the wall, ignoring the pain that seemed to intensify in his body and soul. Kisshōten-sama sighed, sitting down upon the edge of the bed. Ulquiorra finally turned his head back, feeling safe to stare at Kisshōten's back instead. "You have been ignoring your shinzui-yumi, little brother. It has been calling to you and yet this is only the second time you have released it. You mask your pain and struggle well little brother, but I know you too well. My _Gisei no Tamashi_ affects you more that it should, your own _kara Tamashi_ was not performing as well as it can. You spelt too much time back home training with Tomoya using your Murciélago. What is it about your shinzui-yumi that scares you?"

"I am not afraid," answered Ulquiorra hoisting himself off the bed and towards the balcony door, avoiding the watchful eyes of Kisshōten-sama. "It does not respond to me well because I am not a"

"Don't start that again, Anrui," warned Kisshōten coldly, "We have been through this you"

"Interrupting me every few moments does not settle the situation, nor does ignorantly enforcing an order I have no desire to fulfil," interrupted Ulquiorra quickly, turning back towards Kisshōten-sama who was still seated upon the bed, his eyes were turned into the darkness of the room and not upon Kisshōten.

"There is no place for desire in the Matsuyukisou, little brother," answered Kisshōten-sama tiredly, "not anymore…too many times has it led to ruins"

"Rukia is"

"ENOUGH!" bellowed Kisshōten, "Enough," continued in a tired whisper, "…I cannot withdraw the order little brother, the Elders will _never_ reconsider…like your brothers, I am bound to orders. There is no hope for change…do not attempt a battle you have no hope of winning"

Ulquiorra turned back around, staring out at the night the was waiting to engulf him. Kisshōten was powerless against an order as was his other brothers, the Elders held all the power. "There is no logic in killing her," he spoke quietly, as if to himself

"There is no logic in protecting her," answered Kisshōten simply, a whisper upon the night chill. A warm hand pressed lightly into Ulquiorra's back, causing a searing pain to consume his body instantly sealing his wounds and broken bloods vessels. "Goodnight little brother," came the whisper to his ear before a blinding light appeared on the floor of his feet.

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In the blink of an eye Ulquiorra found himself at the door of the sanctuary bordering Karakura Town where he resided with the twins, Hikari, Zora, Ashido, and Grimmjaw.

Grimmjaw pushed himself away from the door, hiding his shock of Ulquiorra appearing suddenly in front of him, the receding patterned glow upon the ground informing him of another transportation spell. He stood for a bit just looking at him; Ulquiorra was dishevelled in more so than from the fight with the twins early on that day, his clothes were tattered and stained with blood though he appeared to not be injured. Grimmjaw though understood the blood was Ulquiorra's own, despite the lack of visible injuries, Ulquiorra stance was weaker somewhat as if he had been ripped from his body and then forced back in. He understood what this meant, "You went to see Kisshōten-sama," he spoke stepping closer towards him, throwing the remnants of his cigar to the ground.

Ulquiorra looked up, momentarily lost at the appearance of Grimmjaw, though he hid it well, "we trained…with our shinzui-yumi" answered Ulquiorra, with a deadened tone, more so than usual.

He paused and then his eyes closed and he was falling, almost slowly forward, instinctively Grimmjaw shunpo'd forward to catch him, swearing under his breath he slung an arm over his shoulder as he clutched the unconscious Ulquiorra around the waist and shunpo'd inside the sanctuary.

"HIIIKAAARRRIIII!" he bellowed loudly, moving towards the lounge. Uncomfortable with his proximity to Ulquiorra, more due to the Quincy cross Ulquiorra bore around his neck, its pulsating iciness making even his soul uncomfortable.

He busted through the doors of the lounge, meeting instantly with Ashido Kano and Zora.

"Kisshōten-kun!" "Ulquiorra!"

"What happened?" they both asked at once, as they cleared off the pillows from a couch-bed, adjusting it for Grimmjaw to lay him down. Ashido ripped after the remnants of Ulquiorra's shirt to ascertain whether internal bleeding was the cause.

The soft glow of Ulquiorra's Quincy Cross halted then all, as if hypnotizing them with the power it pulsated with. Ulquiorra's Quincy Cross, like that of all Kisshōten's resembled a snowflake, but of eight points, hung from a silver chain that looked like a thread of a blade. The crystal whiteness of the snowflake Quincy cross made it appear like a real snowflake in its fragility and yet with a toughness as if of pure diamond. They knew better though, they knew that it was made of pure pressurized reishii formed originally just over 2000 years before by the first Kisshōten Quincy, Anrui. Though the Matsuyukisou had only discovered the name of their shinzui-yumi 200years prior, they had been passing down their Quincy 'cross' since the first ever Quincy's.

Despair gripped their souls the moment of its revealing, clawing deep, tearing at their minds drawing back all the pain and despair from the past, they desperately wanted to look away but they couldn't.

Grimmjaw found himself pushed to the floor by Hikari, who quickly grabbed a small pillow placing it over the Quincy necklace. Immediately they felt relieved, lifted from the despair, retrieved from their past. "Kisshōten?"

"Maybe, I don't think so. It's old power you know, the souls of all users before reside in his Quincy 'cross', but he's been ignoring it for the same reason of what you three just experienced, now its punishing him I guess" answered Hikari coolly

"FOR WHAT?" bellowed Grimmjaw angrily, still shaken from the experience

"For being afraid of his own soul," came the simple reply

"His own soul, but he is not a real Kisshōten though, he is just adopted," spoke Ashido

"I don't know, I guess 'cause he shares the soul of Kisshōten-sama and all the Kisshōten's before with that necklace," answered Zora this time, he draped a think quilt over Ulquiorra. "We should leave him to rest, he has no injuries, tomorrow he should be fine…right?" asked Zora turning to Hikari,

"Yes, there is nothing much we can do; he has collapsed due to the combination of the strain of his shinzui-yumi, his training with Kisshōten-sama, and probably the fight with the twins early today as well. Rest will be best, for us all…tomorrow I have a feeling will be…more trying" answered Hikari, turning and leaving he was followed by Zora.

Ashido and Grimmjaw shared a look, they grabbed a couple of blankets and crashed on the floor, more comfortable with its hardness and remaining until Ulquiorra awakened.

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AN; Tite Kubo uses 'Quincy Cross' to refer to an unreleased bow regardless of its appearance (cross, pentagon, whatever)., 'no' and 'kara', 'of' the other 'from'. I only recently found out the Uryuu actually has a name for his bow, so I guess I ain't that far off. I quite enjoyed the constant interruption between the siblings, nehu REVIEW please, you know you want to!

'til next time..hopefully much sooner than my record so far

AlaeaMori


	9. Chapter 3 Part 1

**A.N: Enjoy & **_**REVIEW**_**.**

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**Thank You**

_**Chapter 3; 1**__**st**__** Part – Shinigami**_

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They sat eating upon the hard ground of the training area beneath Urahara's Shoten; a well-earned break from their training since the meeting ended this morning with Byakuya, Rose, Kensei and Lisa's departure to begin their scouting shift. The questions, bantering, and arguing came to an eerie halt when they stood to leave; it was no longer a mystery to them as to who was responsible for the rapid flares. Urahara was confident in keeping to the scouting roster; an opportunity this time to ascertain how many assassins they were up against but with the appearance of still not knowing the truth.

Rukia wasn't eating she felt too dirty and sore, and extremely uneasy; Urahara had instructed them all to train within their bodies, which of course was of no consequence to Chad, Orihime and Uryuu. It only affected Ichigo and herself; the Visored's, Yoruichi, Soi-Fon and Urahara were all already skilled enough in Kido and hand-to-hand combat that they did not need to rely on shedding their gigai and resorting to their zanpakuto. Rukia had found herself partnered with the very aggressive Hiyori and cunning Soi-Fon. Ichigo was _more_ unlucky, he knew no Kido and so found himself partnered with Urahara and Yoruichi who were both forcing him to use a spell directly after teaching him it; his shunpo was the only thing that was saving him from killing blows, luckily, his hand-to-hand combat skills were superior to Rukia's so overall they were even.

They were advised to move always in pairs or a group, so she left with Uryuu; he planned to visit his father's hospital to 'borrow' certain equipment, she planned to change into clothing more appropriate for training. Ryuken Ishida's secretary was waiting at Orihime's apartment for Uryuu, he left with her and Rukia continued inside to change and finally eat. A quick shower to rid herself of the dirt and grime and then a hot bath to quell her uneasiness and the ache of her muscles was her first priority; food followed and she thought to herself that she should deliver her brother food as well. Byakuya had eaten very little at breakfast, and touched none of the tea at the meeting, it was already six hours since he had left for patrol, he would definitely be hungry she decided.

Without further thought, she packed him a meal and headed out the door catching the bus from around the corner that had arrived soon after she reached the stop. She paid the driver the bus fare and made her way to a seat in the back. Just as the bus pulled back onto the road the heavens closed in, looking ominous with the heavy load that promised torrential downpour. Rukia spent the ride, gazing up at the ominous sky, fascinated in its cooling promise, drawn to the sheer darkness it emanated. The rain…much heartache occurred in the rain, but no matter how hard it rained it never washed away the darkness…the pain; it seeped into the soul and chilled from within, freezing the moment, that pain and guilt. The rain never bodes well.

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Rukia stared at the grave of Masaki Kurosaki, it was only then that she realised her fault; she had travelled alone with no means of contacting her brother, her cell she had left at Urahara's and Byakuya like the other's when patrolling would alternate between his gigai and suppressing his reiatsu when not within it. There would not be a bus passing through for another hour. She moved away quickly; her gigai sadly, prevented her brother detecting her but it prevented the enemy from sensing her also, she was counting on that, she would find a place to wait until she would sense or see her brother, or until the next bus arrived, which ever came first.

She returned to the spot looking over the cemetery where she had sat with Kon waiting for Ichigo as he and his family had visited Masaki's grave. She sat down; it was the perfect spot commanding a view of the entire area and Karakura Town in the distance, she would not be surprised if Byakuya would come across her, it was the perfect position for patrol.

Again, she gazed up at the threatening clouds, fascinated by the darkness it emanated, by the pain it promised to freeze forever to her soul. She tore her eyes away, unable to gaze any longer on the omen, the snap of a twig awakened her senses. Rukia grabbed the packed lunch at her side and ran towards the noise, she couldn't sense it but her instinct told her anyway…a hollow.

She froze in her tracks, it was an Adjuchas; it was suppressing its reiatsu well from any detection, even she could not sense it though it stood just a 100m from her. She spied it consuming the soul of a little girl, her anger flared, she grabbed the Chappy Soul candy in the pockets of her shorts, flicking open the bunny mouth she swallowed the modsoul.

Her soul pushed off from the gigai, and in those two seconds she caught three things; the flash of lightning, similar to the byakurai kido spell she and her brother used, hitting and consuming the Adjuchas its piercing scream ringing her ears, and then, a blur of white moving fast towards her. Lastly, the darkness shadowing the face of a hooded figure, the call to release her zanpakuto died in her throat as it pressed a hand firmly against her chest and pushed her soul back into her gigai. The modsoul pill flew out, landing to the ground softly; the package of lunch dropped from her grasp rolling into a bush as the figure clutched the collar of her top and practically threw her to the side. Her back hit the trunk of the tree hard and before her head could follow suit, a hand rested there preventing the sharp impact and unconsciousness that would have followed.

It was all so fast, the Adjuchas dead and her captured by a Matsuyukisou. She wanted to scream in indignation as she felt an arm wrap around her waist, the Matsuyukisou trapping her against the tree with his body, but his other hand had moved to cover her mouth. Her hands were pinned between their bodies, she tried moving her fingers to dig her nails against his chest but he just pressed his body closer to prevent her, his hand tightening against her mouth in warning.

The piercing scream and spike of reiatsu by the Adjuchas before it died would have alerted her brother, he would be here soon and this Matsuyukisou was holding her hostage. She squirmed as much as she could to move away or gain some distance to kick or elbow or anything to get away, she'd be damned to continue to be propped up against a tree in some sort of lovers embrace. A soft growl escaped the Matsuyukisou, he tightened his hold around her and pressed her body closer against the tree with his own, his hand tightened painfully around her mouth that she squeaked before he loosened it slightly. She glared into the darkness the hood afforded him, this close together she guessed a spell must have also been cast upon the hood to shadow the features of the wearer.

He began muttering under her breath, her eyes widened in alarm, he removed his arm around her waist and stretched it out, his head turned in the direction his palm was open is if prepared to blast whatever was coming. She looked in the same direction and heard the faintest movement coming towards them, _nee-sama!_

His palm glowed, a disk of white energy forming around it, she squirmed desperate to warn her brother, desperate to stop what was coming, she could not sense the reiryoka this Matsuyukisou was condensing, therefore her brother couldn't either, he was walking right into a trap! She faced the Matsuyukisou, pressing her palm against his chest more as if trying to shove him off, her kido wouldn't be as successful against him without the incantation but it would be enough to distract him and get her free. She began muttering against his hand, his head snapped towards her; though she could not see his eyes, she was certain he was glaring at her, the glow from his hand brightened to transparency. He bent his head lower towards her, and she couldn't help but feel a tremor of fear run down her spine at the thoughts of what he could possibly do to her since he had not killed her yet and seemed not inclined to at the moment.

"They mustn't discover you," his voice whispered dangerously in her ear, she stopped her attempt at a muted kido blast and looked at him with wide eyes full of shock and suspicion, he didn't want her brother and friends discovering her, he had plans before killing her, she shivered once again. The bush rustled with movement, her eyes widened even more, _nee-sama_, screamed her mind desperately

It wasn't her brother though but two other Matsuyukisou assassins, both tall and one obviously so muscular, he could pass in height and build as Captain Zaraki. She stared in horror as they made their way out of the tangle of bushes; both were hooded like the one holding her captive, they walked closer into the clearing, brushing off trigs and leaves caught in their attire.

"Where the Hell is she, damn it?" boomed the larger one. Rukia's eyes widened in surprise, she was certain they had come for her too, surely they had seen her caught by one of their own, they were standing just 10m from her. "Damn it! I know she's here, she must be here somewhere, I sensed that little shinigami's soul freed from those damn gigai" belted the larger one again in frustration and anger

"She may have already moved. If your displacement abilities had been better we would have arrived here in time to catch her," replied the other calmly. "The question now is, where could she have gone, she cannot be far since she is obviously back in her gigai, she cannot shunpo or whatever it is they call their Hirenkyaku without being detected, therefore she must be close."

The larger one, turned around in the spot as if expecting her to be just standing close. Rukia turned her attention to the Matsuyukisou that was shielding her, she realised that whatever he had been muttering before was probably a sort of Bakudo shield spell, like Kyokko, which bent light away therefore shielding the caster from being seen, he must have cast the Quincy equivalent, was he protecting her then or keeping her for himself. She continued to stare at him trying to catch his attention but he was too occupied in staring at the other two or at least at the ground near them, she followed his gaze and swallowed the gasp that had nearly escaped. Her modsoul pill was upon the ground, they could easily place the modsoul in a body and torture the information of her whereabouts from it.

Their attention was quickly drawn away by the arrival of another Matsuyukisou, smaller in build and height than the present two; this Quincy glanced around as if suspecting their presence. She felt the Matsuyukisou she is with tense, the newest arrival spots the modsoul, Rukia holds her breath for what is about to come.

"What the hell are you doing here, Hikari?" growls the large Matsuyukisou turning around to face the latest arrival. Her assassin stiffens, Rukia notes this _Hikari_ stepping closer, his foot falling on top of the modsoul pill smashing it and pressing it into the soft earth, the hand around her mouth and against her hip relaxes. Hikari knows, she realizes. The stomping feet of the larger Matsuyukisou muffled the sound of the modsoul breaking, "I asked you a question, brother"

"I sensed the Kuchiki girl, since I was close I came to complete or assist in the completion of the mission," answered Hikari

"I will not let that happen," came the cool voice of Byakuya Kuchiki. Rukia's breath hitches, _nee-sama_, her eyes worried as she gazes at her brother, he swallows his modsoul pill, and lands gracefully in front of his gigai.

"A shinigami captain, Tsch…tell us the girls' whereabouts and we will let you live," growled the large Matsuyukisou. Byakuya answered by withdrawing his zanpakuto from its sheath.

"That is not wise, shinigami," spoke the other almost compassionately. The kenseikan glinted softly in the sunlight, _'a noble, and a captain, so this is the great Byakuya Kuchiki' _Byakuya's steady gaze showed his resolve, the Matsuyukisou sighed _'he is indeed the Kuchiki_ _Lord'_. "Very well then," his left hand flickered out, his Quincy-cross secured around the wrist, he bowed his head slightly and muttered beneath his breath.

The area glowed with reiryoku, condensed into a pentagon formation upon the ground, all too fast for Byakuya to react or move, he was caught in the centre, his gigai fell to the ground the sharp ring indicating the destruction of the modsoul within. One of the points of the pentagon reached Rukia and the Matsuyukisou, she felt him tense again and hold his breath, but the caster and others were still unaware of his presence and hers. She felt the rush of breath of his sigh against her neck; they were still protected but now trapped. The pentagon glowed, the circular area enclosing them all in a dome shield.

Byakuya fell to his knees, he could feel it within, the shield not only prevented his escape but also locked his soul within; he could feel it chaining him to the area. Byakuya was skilled enough to prevent a leak of reiatsu when leaving his gigai, he was certain that the shield prevented outside detection, which meant no one was aware or would be of the battle that would occur. He pushed himself up, at the very least, they could not go after Rukia, she would be able to escape back to Urahara and inform them, he wondered why she was within the area in the first place. Where was the other's, did she come alone?

Byakuya braced himself for the battle to come, sizing up the three hooded Matsuyukisou before him, the smallest one could easily have been any of the four he had encountered at the supermarket, he was of the same height and built, he stood back however, with the one that had cast the sealing spell. The largest of the three stepped forward, Byakuya was certain the man was smirking with delight at a battle.

"Scatter, _Senbonzakura,_" he intoned deeply, the blade shattered into the thousand petal blades

A low chuckle escaped the Matsuyukisou, "Raze the Earth, _Ushioshini_!", his left hand raised, the Quincy cross hanging from the wrist, it glowed bright revealing a bow shaped much like a scythe, the long upper and short low limb of the bow was rounded like a handle staff, the sharp curved blade of the scythe resting at the top. "Are you prepared to die shinigami…because I'm prepared to kill"

Rukia could not help the soft whimper that escaped, '_nee-sama!'_

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AN: I kept this to 4pages

**Chapter 3 will occur in three parts, **

**Ushioshini (Death Tide) is modelled off Hisagi's, **_**Kazeshini**_** (Death Wind).**

**The Matsuyukisou refer to and consider one another as **_**brother**_**, in the sense of sworn-brothers, or brothers-in-arms kind of thing. **

**Byakuya arrived upon sensing and hearing the death of the Adjuchas and sensing Rukia when she was out of her gigai. The Matsuyukisou assassins still cannot be detected, so don't expect Urahara etc. riding in as the cavalry **

**Next part of this chapter is finished and will be uploaded in a couple of days.**

**Reviews are appreciated**

'**til next time**

**AlaeaMori**


	10. Chapter 3 Part 2

**A.N: Enjoy & **_**REVIEW**_**. Ill get the next and last part of this chapter up before the end of this week. _Foolish girl_, is part of the first paragraph, the stupid thing just refuses to save it that way...but nehu**

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**Thank You**

_**Chapter 3; 2**__**nd**__** Part – Quincy**_

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Foolish girl

his mind screamed. She was foolish for travelling alone; the twins were foolish for leaving her unattended however short a time. Only by careful deduction had he surmised her to have travelled to her brother. Ulquiorra knew he was lucky to have arrived in time, though not quickly enough. He despatched of the Adjuchas with a powerful Ginto spell Kisshōten-sama had taught him; the spell drew from surrounding reishii instead of his own reiatsu, keeping the spiritual energy without identity therefore free from detection. He had not been in time to save the soul it had devoured, or in time to stop the foolish girl from leaving her gigai.

Ulquiorra could not quell the frustration that had been growing inside ever since the twins had informed him they had lost track of her. His frustration nearly caused her injury when he had tossed her to the side and her head had nearly slammed back against the trunk of the tree, luckily, he had been able to cushion her head before it hit the trunk. His frustration was stronger now that he knew _they_ would be arriving soon, even if for only a second, she had _still_ left her gigai, every Matsuyukisou would have sensed her shinigami presence freed from the protection the gigai afforded. _They_ would be here soon; he did not have enough time to escape, the single-caster displacement spell taught to him by Kisshōten-sama belonged to the family, performed by a non-Kisshōten it would become distorted, he would not risk killing her by performing it, they would have to hide.

There was one spell he knew that could achieve what he needed but he was not certain whether it was a typical Ginto spell or one devised by the Kisshōten family, he could not risk the latter, but _they_ were drawing close. Her squirming interrupted his chain of thoughts, he pressed closer to encase her, a soft growl of frustration escaping him, his hand upon her mouth tightened, her squeak of pain drew him back to her so he loosened his hold, he would have to risk it then, _they_ were already close. He would deal with everything else in time.

He began muttering the incantation under his breath, and removed his arm around her waist; he raised it holding his palm up in the direction _they_ were coming. His palm glowed, a disk of white energy forming around it, she squirmed more to his annoyance. Her hand caught between their bodies pressed back against his chest, _foolish girl_, she could not succeed in pushing him off. Her muttering against his hand snapped his attention to her; he stared coldly into her determined eyes it did not matter now though, he had only to keep her quiet. The spell was cast. The condensed reishii around his upraised hand brightened to transparency, he bent his head lower towards her and felt the tremor from her body, _fear?_, she was afraid of him, his eyes hardened, _she should be_.

"They mustn't discover you," he whispered dangerously into her ear; she stopped her futile attempt at escape and stared at him with her wide violet eyes full of shock and suspicion. The bushes across rustled with movement, _they_ were here.

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Only two of his Matsuyukisou brothers walked out of the tangle of bushes, they walked closer into the clearing, brushing off twigs and leaves caught in their attire. Ulquiorra instantly recognised his brother from his built and height, his booming voice sealing his assumption, _Kuroshio Bōsetsu._ This did not bode well, unlike his other Matsuyukisou brothers, Kuroshio's shinzui-yumi had no manipulation abilities, it was never about a quick assassination with a member of the Bōsetsu clan, but a long brutal battle.

Ulquiorra had initially likened Kuroshio to Grimmjaw; his assessment though, was disproved upon their meeting. He suspected they would get along well, like to like, brute to brute and all, but instead there was an instant dislike on both sides. Ulquiorra had realised then that he had overlooked the greatest difference between the two, Grimmjaw was a fighter for survival and pride, Kuroshio was a **killer**, a battle was merely his weapon of choice.

Ulquiorra sighed inwardly there would be a battle; this patrol area was Byakuya Kuchiki's and Byakuya was bound to be drawn into battle with Kuroshio, Ulquiorra would be unable to prevent her brother's slaughter without revealing themselves.

Ulquiorra shifted his gaze to his other Matsuyukisou brother, he was not certain of whom, he fit the height and built of three of his brothers; let it be Ryuusei or at least Ama, either as long as he was not Yuki. He held nothing against his brother Yuki, but the situation was bad enough, Byakuya was guaranteed a brutal death by the hands of Kuroshio, adding Yuki to that would break Rukia's soul, she would never recover if her brother died by Kuroshio's _and_ Yuki's hands. Kuroshio guaranteed a brutal death, Yuki on the other hand, promised a bloody death. The Kuchiki noble was better off dying at the hands of the deceased 9th Espada Nnoitra Jiruga; whatever sick slaughter Nnoitra could devise was nothing to death at Yuki's hands. Yuki was commonly only despatched for targets that Kisshōten-sama deemed needed physical suffering before their annihilation, above all his other brothers, Touketsu Hatsuyuki, commonly known as Yuki, guaranteed that. The shinzui-yumi of the Hatsuyuki clan mastered in control, that its form of control was torturous was Fate.

By the fates, it was not the cold steely voice of Touketsu Hatsuyuki that answered Kuroshio's rant, but the calm confident voice of Ama Kangetsu. _Ama_, Ulquiorra was relieved; though Ama's shinzui-yumi promised inner suffering, Ama would never interfere or assist in the battle of a brother, Byakuya was saved…somewhat.

Ulquiorra could feel her stare upon him, but chose to ignore her; Kuroshio turned around on the spot as if expecting Rukia to appear, luckily the big oaf had not spotted the modsoul pill upon the earth close to where Ama stood. Soon the weight of her stare shifted from him, following his line of sight, he felt her swallow the gasp about to escape, he did not need to look into her eyes to know the horror that was there, _they_ could easily extract the information from her modsoul, thus exposing him as well.

Another arrived then, drawing his attention away, it was not the twins, they always travelled together, Hikari or Zora then. Ulquiorra could not ascertain for certain, not yet; possibly either from the way he is eying the surroundings suspiciously, he pauses minutely at the packed meal that had rolled under the bush but draws no attention from the others of his finding, _Hikari_. Spotting the pill near Ama, he walks toward it strengthening Ulquiorra's assumption, _Hikari_…Kuroshio's bellowing confirming the identity.

Ulquiorra stiffened as Hikari drew all attention, but Fate was on their side, Hikari's boot fell casually upon the modsoul pill crushing it and pressing it into the soft earth, the sound of it shattering muffled by Kuroshio's heavy advancing footsteps. Hikari answers easily, squashing any suspicion of his presence that could have formed. All attention was shifted; the cool baritone of Byakuya Kuchiki announces his presence.

_So it begins._

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"That is not wise, shinigami," spoke Ama almost compassionately. Ulquiorra noted the tilt of his head as he realised who the shinigami is, _he knows_, "Very well then," his left hand flickered out, his Quincy-cross secured around the wrist, he bowed his head slightly and muttered beneath his breath. The reishii in the area glowed condensing into a pentagonal symbol upon the ground; all too fast for Byakuya to react or move he was caught in the centre, his gigai fell to the ground the sharp ring indicating the destruction of the modsoul within.

One of the points of the pentagon reached Ulquiorra and Rukia; Ulquiorra tensed again and held his breath, but his brothers remained unawares. He bowed his head and sighed, they were still protected but now trapped; he cursed inwardly, his frustration growing, Ama tended to have that affect on him.

Byakuya fell to his knees, he could feel it within, the shield not only prevented his escape but also locked his soul within; he could feel it chaining him to the area.

Ulquiorra knew what Byakuya would eventually devise for himself; the shield drew its energy from Byakuya's own reiatsu, the more he expelled the more it strengthened, the barrier could not be withdrawn once cast, only with the death of its source would it dissipate, and that source was Byakuya Kuchiki.

Kuroshio stepped forward, Ulquiorra knew him to be smirking with delight at a battle.

"Scatter, _Senbonzakura,_" Byakuya intoned deeply, the blade shattering into the thousand petal blades

A low chuckle escaped Kuroshio, "Raze the Earth, _Ushioshini_!", his left hand raised, the Quincy cross hanging from the wrist, it glowed bright revealing his scythed bow. "Are you prepared to die shinigami…because I'm prepared to kill!"

_So it ends_

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AN: This only made 3pages…hmm…Nope, ill leave the end to the last part of this chapter

**So this is like Part 1 but from Ulquiorra's POV, I don't believe him to be OOC, his frustration and cursing is still fitting. He's Ulquiorra, he's already analysed the situation from multiple angles, he has already surmised that without outside interference what will be inevitable. His revealing of his brother's identities is just part and parcel of his analyzing the latest variable in the situation.**

**So now besides Ulquiorra's little group, and Ryuusei from the beginning, you're now fully aware of three other Matsuyukisou members. And yes, if you remember Ichigo's lineage, Ama is his half-cousin. **

**Ginto is the Quincy equivalent to Kido. Certain spells were devised and sealed by certain families (primarily the Kisshōten family). Ginto spells devised by the Kisshōten family were sealed with Kisshōten blood, that is why only Quincy's of Kisshōten blood can perform the spell without any distortion, i.e. equivalent exchange etc. as noted in C1 P2. Other spells, just like Kido spells can be performed by anyone.**

**Reviews (praise, suggestions, questions) are appreciated and possibly rewarded**

'**til next time **

**AlaeaMori**


	11. Chapter 3 Part 3

**A.N: To bluesky, yes indeed I don't get a lot of reviews, which is strange since personally I find my fic very original, though I guess since it is slow pace in terms of getting to some romantic fluff, readers are holding out. I don't need reviews to continue the story, its already mapped out so it will end, however reviews do help me get down to writing sooner and better, like your review did. Nearly two thirds of this story was written after reading your review, you gave me that buzz and resolve to get this part up. So cheers to bluesky, to all my other reviewers, to those that have placed mi on their alert and/or favourite list. Enjoy & **_**REVIEW**_**.**

**Sori about the XXX, but it was necessary for decent space, since I'm switching a lot between POV**

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**Thank You**

_**Chapter 3; 3**__**rd**__** Part -**_

_**Shinigami & Quincy**_

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XXX

Byakuya was impatient. Blood spurted on the ground as he coughed to clear his throat for breath; he eyed his opponent who stood a few feet from him. Byakuya wiped at his mouth, this had to end, it was well over an hour since the battle began and still Urahara and the others had not shown, which meant that Rukia was still within the vicinity and had not escaped as he had first thought. She must be in her gigai since he nor these Matsuyukisou could sense her, and since she had not left it would also mean she was somehow trapped, Byakuya glanced skywards at the faint glow that proved the existence of the dome barrier; _she must be within_.

He straightened his posture, eying his opponent again with cold indifference as his eyes quickly surveyed him, what he saw did not please him. The Matsuyukisou smirked, he was relatively unharmed, Byakuya had already devised that his shinzui-yumi was entirely built for attacking at a distance, and that at close range the Matsuyukisou would revert to using his bow as a scythe, the limbs of the bow were able to withstand the blade of his zanpakuto. The Matsuyukisou held the upper hand, _Senbonzakura_'s petal blades were easily blocked by the Quincy's tidal attacks. Byakuya learned soon enough to avoid being caught in the tidal attacks; he learned by experience that the dark waves were more an offensive ability that upon contact would rapidly draw out the reiryoku of the victim, the rapid influx of reiatsu had felt like his body was being torn apart as his soul was being forced out.

Byakuya could still feel the tingle throughout his body from the times when he had been caught by the dark waves; the barrier dome covered only a 100m radius allowing very little room for movement from the airborne attacks. Byakuya had tried moving towards the other two Quincy's to have them caught in the wave as well, but they remained unharmed, his opponent had barked out in laughter at his attempt explaining to him that regardless of who was caught in the waves it only affected whom he chose. _Enough of running_

Byakuya stood his ground firmly, "Enough", he intoned coldly, "this ends now...Quincy", he all but hissed

XXX

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Kuroshio was ecstatic, it had been so long since he had last fought a shinigami truly capable of a good battle _Nobles never disappoint; _Kuroshio smirked to himself. They had been fighting for over an hour and yet still the shinigami was not dead, he had even managed to come out alright even after a few 'dunks', the Shinigami realised soon enough to avoid his death waves even to the point of trying to get Ama and Hikari caught in it, _fool_.

Kuroshio was impressed, though the Shinigami' zanpakuto petals were of little affect against his death waves, he had still managed to survive for this long, but Kuroshio was not an idiot, not entirely at least. He knew the shinigami was holding back, _enough of that_, he though darkly as the shinigami straightened, _this ends now_

Fate heard for the shinigami intoned the very same thing, and again Kuroshio smirked.

XXX

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Ulquiorra was frustrated…still. The foolish girl had continued to squirm to try to get free thinking that she could assist her brother in the same; she would die before they would even allow her to release her zanpakuto. How long would it take before the overwhelming _fact_ that he was _protecting_ her from _certain_ death get pass that stubborn bang of hair, through those overemotional violet eyes and into that thick skull to finally make her realise…obviously the last hour and a half wasn't long enough. They were _still_ trapped in the same position; what's more, the fight had come so close to them that Byakuya's own thousand blade petals had decapitated the top of the tree they were against from just a few centimetres above their own heads.

Ulquiorra inwardly sighed, this needed to end soon, Byakuya had not figured it out yet, but even if he did succeed in killing Kuroshio, he would have to defeat Ama, by which time the barrier shield would have absorbed even more of his reiatsu. It needed to end, and it would…very soon.

XXX

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Rukia was worried…her brother was so wounded; after an hour of intensive fighting Byakuya was finally starting to feel it and Rukia could see it, he was weakening, it shouldn't have happened so fast. Byakuya was so strong, he _should_ be so strong, and yet every attack he seemed to poise drew so much of his energy it weakened him more than it did the Quincy. At one time, she and the Quincy holding her captive were nearly decapitated by _Senbonzakura_, however Rukia was still hesitant about labelling him her protector, though he seemed to be protecting her from his fellow Matsuyukisou he was also denying her from assisting her brother. As far as she was concerned, he was more of a barrier than the reishii barrier itself that was encasing them all

_Baka_

Rukia inwardly sighed; there was no way this _Baka _would ever let her go with his Quincy brothers around and there looked to be no way her own brother could win against _them_ unless he used bankai. The area was too small for such a technique without it causing some serious damage to the grounds and subsequently revealing her. Somehow, this had to end soon, and Fate would see to it that it did

XXX

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"Bankai, _**Senbonzakura**__**Kageyoshi**_" intoned Byakuya, his zanpakuto slipping from his grip downward into the earth as if the ground was a mere pool of water. He knew he would not be able to get in a decent blow; therefore, there was only one option, one final solution, _the end,_

"Gōkei, _Senbonzakura Kageyoshi_"

Millions of tiny blade fragments ascended into the air, he moved his hand to the large Matsuyukisou, the flock of fragments following, a huge cloud of blades circling its prey. There would be no escape for him, even the other two Matsuyukisou would be affected, and it should also break the barrier, it was necessary though, all of it, _this has to end_. Byakuya knew that this attack would break whatever shield Rukia had constructed, it would be necessary though, once he was certain of where she was he could make his escape with her from the fallen barrier, Urahara and the others would sense them and hopefully get to them in time before the other Matsuyukisou caught up. _Protect her_, he commanded of his zanpakuto; as soon as her shield was broken, Senbonzakura was instructed to shield her from itself_,_

_It ends __**now**_

The swarm of blades honed in on the Matsuyukisou, encasing him in a spherical cloud of blades, closing off all means of escaping, preventing even the affect of his death waves to break through. With only the glint in his eyes as the telltale sign, Byakuya collapsed the spherical cloud of blades upon the Quincy assassin; quickly he moved to the edge backing into the barrier shield, and crouching low formed a kido shield to protect himself from most of the affects of the shock-wave.

XXX

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"Gōkei, _Senbonzakura Kageyoshi_"

Ulquiorra let go of Rukia and quickly unzipped his Matsuyukisou jacket, he grabbed her back just as quickly before she could even think of slipping away and pulled her down and to him. Sitting at the base of the tree Rukia wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging her knees to her chest; Ulquiorra knelt, his body bending over her, pressing her into his bare chest to shield her figure with his body and jacket. His head hung over hers, his arms pulling at his jacket sides to wrap securely around her. His illusionary shield would still hold through the shockwave, but they would still feel the brunt of it, he squeezed her as close to him as possible, tucking her into his angled body to protect her from the shockwave,

_It __**ends**__...now_.

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The fine dust of loose soil slowly began to clear and settle, Byakuya sat upon the earth leaning back heavily, _the barrier_, it had not dissolve, _Rukia_, she was not revealed. The coughing and vomiting of blood alerted him,

"Fuck'n Shinigami BASTARD!" roared the large Matsuyukisou

Byakuya's eyes widened slightly, the Quincy was still alive, and the other two Quincy were affected only by the dirt settling on their white uniforms; _the barrier_, he finally realised.

He felt so much weaker than he expected, that attack had taken more of his energy then usual, and still he could feel himself weakening even more. It was the barrier! He closed his eyes; he had been caught in the middle when it was cast, he _thought_ he was caught in the middle but no, the barrier had extended from him. The other Quincy had used him as the source, the barrier was still standing because he was still alive, it drew its strength from him, and its destruction would only occur upon his…death

_It will end now_

Byakuya struggled to his feet, grabbing his zanpakuto that lay not far from his feet, in its unreleased state. He dug the blade into the ground to help him up, facing the Quincy on unsteady feet, blood stinging his eyes, "This isn't...over" he intoned

"Damn right it's not, you bastard!" cried the Quincy spitting blood to the side, "I'm going to destroy your noble-arsed soul you hear me, Shinigami," he hissed. Kuroshio took his stance, adjusting his footing accordingly, he raised his scythed bow above his head. Slowly bringing down his bow, he pushed with his left hand whilst pulling back the bow string with his right, drawing and condensing more reishii into the arrow as it went.

XXX

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Rukia squirmed and struggled to break free, even bit down upon the _Baka_'s! hand, but still he held her tightly, _no...please, please...NO!_

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Wet tears flowed onto his hand; Ulquiorra turned his head to look at her, her body, even through her struggling, shook with desperation and fear, her violet eyes shimmered, tear after tear streaming down her cheeks. Ulquiorra removed his hand from covering her mouth, bringing it around through the locks of her hair, guiding her head to rest upon his shoulder. His other arm he loosened, allowing her to free her own arms. Instantly her hand rose to her mouth to muffle her sobs of despair, her other hand gripped his jacket tightly.

He did so not to comfort her, but to spare himself; he did not want to see her tears, the greatest show of weakness in his mind. Tears would not comfort her, would not remedy the situation, would not relieve her soul, and yet she indulged herself in such an 'expression', such was the weakness of 'heart'.

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Rukia's tears fell heavily onto his shoulder as she watched on helplessly; her brother standing weakly, the Matsuyukisou drawing his bow ever so slowly, the arrow growing and glowing brightly until finally the bow string was pulled to behind his ear, and the arrow condensed with a sharp ring.

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Byakuya struggled to focus, but he was losing energy fast, he could feel it slipping away from him, the barrier seemed to glitter brighter the more energy it took, the closer he was to death.

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"It ends now…shinigami," Rukia watched in horror as the arrow was released; it cut through the air with a deafening scream, as if the air itself was crying out in agony.

Rukia turned away from Byakuya's execution, her arms flung around the Quincy's neck; a sob escaped as she buried herself into the crook, drawing him closer to her, trying to seek comfort from his presence.

_X-X-X_

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"It ends now…shinigami," spoke Kuroshio, the satisfaction evident in his tone. Ulquiorra closed his eyes and waited for the two cries that would announce everything…

_XXX_

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"It ends now…shinigami," spoke the large Quincy, though it seemed to Byakuya to have come from far away, he tried to release Senbonzakura but he had not the strength. He closed his eyes, as the assassin's arrow condensed, _Hisana…_ a scream rang his ears, he willed his eyes to open but they were so heavy and would not…_forgive me_, he pleaded as he fell to his knees

_X-X-X_

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As expected, the cry of the air as the released arrow tore through it and the quiet sob escaping from Rukia as she buried herself into his 'embrace' - the embrace of an enemy - announced everything.

_It has ended_

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_Nii-sama_, her mind cried in despair as her body shook, she drew the Quincy closer, screwing her eyes tightly to try to stem the flow of tears, but they flowed endlessly. The heavens roared, shaking the ground beneath her feet, allowing her one small gasp of despair to escape unheard. Drops fell heavily and noisily, she felt the cold tears of the heavens settle through her clothing, seeping into her soul and chilling her from within, freezing that moment, that pain and guilt.

_Nii-sama…forgive me_, her soul cried; she drew herself closer into the cold warmth of her enemy as the rain fell.

The rain never bodes well, Fate had tried to warn her but she had not heeded, her brother therefore was the price to pay

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"Ama!" exclaimed Hikari startled, thus drawing Ulquiorra's attention, he raised his head, straining away from Rukia's hold to look at the scene

Over the pounding noise of the rain, she faintly heard the startled exclamation though not what of, she felt the Quincy move away from her grasp around his neck, she could sense him looking towards the scene, the scene of her brother's death. Her hands came to cover her face, she did not want to look, she did not want to see her nii-sama…dead

XXX

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Ulquiorra felt her arms withdraw from around his neck; in the corner of his sight, he noted her drawing her hands to cover her face. Her body trembled and he knew it to not be entirely from the cold of the heavy rain, her head was shaking softly as if warning her to not look, to not witness her brother's _death_.

He bent his head, and drew her close to him, "Rukia," he whispered low into her ear

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She would not, could not…look. It was her fault, all her fault, again someone dear had suffered, had died, because of her. Her head shook softly, she couldn't look, she wouldn't look, but she should, as punishment for her weakness, punishment because it was her fault, she knew it to be her fault, she was guilty…again.

"Rukia," the low whisper to her ear startled her, she removed her hands to look at him; they were so close his hood covered over her as well. If she could see his face, his eyes, at this proximity, she would have been cross-eyed, but as it stood, she stared into nothing but a deep unyielding darkness. His head turned to the scene automatically she followed.

Quickly his hand rose to muffle her gasp, _Nii-sama_

Byakuya was on his knees, his breathing heavy, his eyes closed in exhaustion, the barrier drew more energy. He was close to death; it knew it and so drew more, but more importantly though, Byakuya was still alive, in front of him stood the other Matsuyukisou, the one that had arrived with the larger one, the one that had _saved?_ him

XXX

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_Ama_, he stood in front of Byakuya with his shinzui-yumi _Kuromu_ released.

The upper and lower limb of the Kangetsu clans' shinzui-yumi was wispy, like smoke, even the bow string, the only solid tangible part was the grip. _Kuromu_ of the Kangetsu clan was the only shinzui-yumi with no true physical form. The wispy smoke limbs could be manipulated at will, hardened, evaporated even reversed to catch oncoming arrows such that the Kangetsu clan were the prominent assassin used against other Quincy's. This was the technique Ama had used; the bow was reversed, the grip was pulled by his ear, the bow string held by his right hand, because of this technique the Kangetsu clan were notably ambidextrous. Turning the bow back around he fired the arrow into the ceiling of the barrier to disperse the reishii.

Kuroshio did not rant and rage like he would have if it was any other of his brothers, he instead looked at Ama questioningly; Ama was _never_ one to interfere or assist in another brothers' battle or assignment, he understood the concept of pride in such things, that Ama had interfered now meant something of greater importance.

Ama's head tilted slightly, indicating to the side behind him, Kuroshio's gaze followed, as did Ulquiorra's and Rukia's

XXX

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Rukia's withdrew her gaze from her brother and followed the other Quincy's silent indication; she spotted a small hovering white light, locked out by the barrier, squinting through the tears she noticed the light was in fact fluttering.

X-X-X

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_X-X-X_

_A messenger butterfly_…understood the four Matsuyukisou present. Ulquiorra and Hikari were relieved, Kuroshio was annoyed, and Ama was curious.

"It could be concerning him, he cannot be destroyed," spoke Ama, thus explaining his interference

Kuroshio sighed in exasperation, "We can't exactly hear the message can we, not until the barrier is down, and that can only happen upon _his_ death," he replied referring to Byakuya.

Byakuya stirred, finally able to pry his eyes open, he tried to stand but he was still weak and instead fell back to his knees, a low chuckle escaped Kuroshio. Though weak, the glare Byakuya sent him still held the same cold strength.

"He serves no purpose alive, even if he informed us of the girl's whereabouts, only Anrui can dispatch of her, we'll have to summon him to do that which we can't do so with this barrier still up," continued Kuroshio, "Therefore we kill the shinigami then find out the message, one shinigami lost is of no consequence,"

Byakuya's mind peaked at the mention of the name Anrui, no other clan would use that name, a name solely associated with the Kisshōten clan, Anrui could be none other than a Kisshōten, and the only one that could deliver Rukia's death, Anrui could be none other than their **King**.

"That may be true but only for our previous orders, the message could contain new orders, if so, killing him would be of great consequence," supplied Hikari

Kuroshio growled but did not comment, they watched as the snowy messenger butterfly fluttered more wildly as it tried to get in to deliver its message, it brightened then burst breaking into the reishii particles that had formed it. Kuroshio growled louder this time, "We better not get shit about this, if so, you're taking the brunt for creating this damn barrier of yours, _Kangetsu_," berated Kuroshio, only ever addressing his brothers by their surname if he was seriously annoyed. Though it could not be seen Kuroshio knew his brother well enough to know he was smirking because of his annoyance; this only caused him to growl once more.

X-X-X

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X-X-X

Ulquiorra exhaled sharply in silent frustration, with the messenger butterfly not received within the time allowed, more of his brothers would arrive to inquire. Byakuya's death was guaranteed in order to dissolve the barrier.

Outside the wall of the barrier, the ground glowed and two Matsuyukisou figures now stood there, their height and built was like that of Ama's, which meant that only two Matsuyukisou that would match, Ryuusei Fubuki and Touketsu Hatsuyuki.

The heavens poured down heavily, noisily, persistently, but the Matsuyukisou remained unfazed.

"What reason do you have for not answering the messenger," demanded Ryuusei, his head tilting slightly as he noted the weakened shinigami captain.

"None other than the great Kangetsu-barrier," answered Kuroshio gruffly, Ama nodded his 'guilt'

"hmm," spoke Ryuusei, eying Byakuya's condition, "the girl" he instructed simply.

Ulquiorra again inhaled sharply, turning his head away from the scene he drew Rukia closer, he did not need to look – though he would not have seen due to the hood – to know of Yuki's delighted smirk. Byakuya's hand twitched, but he was too weak to raise his zanpakuto, the damned barrier was ensuring his _compliance_.

"Quench you thirst, _Chitenma,_" rang the cold steely voice of Touketsu Hatsuyuki.

Ulquiorra squeezed her closer, the distortion shield had held against Ama's barrier, but the possibility against the _Chitenma_ shinzui-yumi of the Hatsuyuki clan was slim. _Chitenma_ sensed reiryoku, even the slightest amount, regardless of barriers or illusions, it could sense it like a demon could smell blood; there was no hiding from a member of the Hatsuyuki clan. While the limbs and string of the Kangetsu clan bow resembled smoke, it was by that very demon comparison that the bow of the Hatsuyuki clan resembled liquid, blood to be exact. It held the same depth of color, the limbs when sprayed out made the bow into a large blood shield, if stabbed with the blood-limbs it would leave no wound but instead from thereon the blood that made the limbs and bowstring was drawn from the victim, and the victim's own reiryoku used against him to puppet his body. _Chitenma_ needed blood for its form and reiryoku for its power, no enemy _ever_ died quietly.

"Sniff her out," instructed Yuki with the satisfaction of the hunt evident in his tone,

"No," intoned Byakuya, rising unsteadily but successfully to his feet, "You will not hurt her,"

"Silence shinigami, you _will_ be next," answered Yuki with anticipation

"Actually he will not, he has a meeting with Kisshōten-sama," answered Ryuusei simply, no one questioned but Yuki did growl loud enough to be heard over the roar of the rain, and then he growled again

"Are you sure!" he demanded, he tsch'd under his breath, "She is not here, she is not even within 2miles of this area." No one asked if he was certain, if _Chitenma_ did not sense her then she was not there.

Ulquiorra could not believe that the shield he had cast could distort even _Chitenma's_ senses, which only meant that Zora must also be in the area. Zora's shinzui-yumi was not your typical destructive soul weapon, instead _Munen Musō _disabled external illusions and shielded against the internal manipulation of the victims' senses. It was the only shinzui-yumi known in existence that was effective against all the Matsuyukisou since the Matsuyukisou shinzui-yumi' were all some form of manipulation. It was for this very reason why Zora was the most important to recruit. _Zora_…Ulquiorra bowed his head in thanks and relief that Zora had finally chosen to assist..._Brother_

_X-X-X_

* * *

X-X-X

"Very well then," concluded Ryuusei, "Hikari draw out the captain's reiryoku to kill him; that will disable the barrier, once done you can return the reiryoku to revive him, his meeting with Kisshōten-sama is of great importance."

Hikari nodded and moved to Byakuya, he sheathed the shinigami's zanpakuto and forcing him down gently to sit; he stood over him and released his shinzui-yumi, "Breathe, _Seimei no Honshitsu_." His yumi formed, he placed his right hand upon the grip as well; the upper and lower limb withdrew back into the grip. The grip then split closing over his right hand with a golden glow. Moving his left hand as if drawing apart, the glow followed moving up his arm forming a _yotsugake*_ on both hands, the left stopped at the wrist whilst the right came up and over his shoulder and crossed over his chest and back. While it looked like the golden light coated over his uniform it in fact went right through the body, it also entered into the back of Hikari's neck and up into his eyes. If his eyes could be seen, they would have looked a singular gold.

_Seimei no Honshitsu_ like that of _Chitenma_ drew its power from its victim's own reiryoku, using this technique his 'new' eyes could see the flow of reiryoku within the victim's body, without needing to stab first, he could draw out the reiryoku making it exit the body from any spot, thus weakening that part of the body. Hikari then rapidly condenses that energy into an arrow and shoots it back into the same spot, he could therefore draw and fire arrows from any direction, thus making it a constant attack weapon, the same method could also be used to heal instead of attack. Ultimately, it was perfect against multiple targets its only drawback was that for attacks that are more powerful his bow had to be reformed.

Hikari hunched down, balancing on the soles of his feet he placed his palms on Byakuya's chest to rapidly drew out all the reiryoku left, the shimmering of the barrier ceased, Ryuusei and Yuki walked closer, the barrier was down. Byakuya who had been leaning against the barrier wall now slumped back, dead, Hikari gripped the shinigami's shirt, laying him down to the ground gently. Moving to kneel at his side, Hikari nodded to himself, he pushed back against Byakuya's chest, he pushed back again more firmly, but still nothing happened.

"I…I cannot bring him back," he spoke bewildered and astonished, Ryuusei walked closer and hunched down beside him. Hikari tried again, pushing down more forcefully trying to make the energy 'stick', "I don't…" He leant back, resting on his heels, looking down at his palms, perplexed and angered at himself. He knew Ulquiorra to be within the area with the girl, he could not fail him in such a simple task, he growled fisting his hands tightly.

"Try again," spoke Ryuusei calmly, "but channel the reiryoku directly into his being and not via his zanpakuto spirit. Unlike us, the soul-weapon of shinigami's is not ingrained to their souls, though the occurrences are rare it is in fact possible for all zanpakuto's to continue to exist after their master dies. They are not linked eternally; which is why a shinigami that dies, is reborn, then dies, and becomes a shinigami again can possess a different zanpakuto. Ignore his zanpakuto spirit, it will return with its master if it chooses to, revive his spirit only."

Hikari nodded and obeyed, focusing he channelled the reiryoku into the spirit-body, ignoring the essence of the zanpakuto lingering over it, Byakuya coughed then slipped into unconsciousness.

"Heal him of his injuries as well, then return to your post afterward," he turned to Ama and Kuroshio, "You will return with us, you have both been summoned." He stood, and moving away from Hikari they formed a square, performing the same four-point star transportation spell that Ulquiorra and Hikari had used with the twins to escape from the supermarket just yesterday.

* * *

X-X-X

They were gone instantaneously, Ulquiorra waited a second longer before releasing Rukia; she ran instantly to Byakuya, falling to her knees beside him, she clutched his hand as she watched the familiar glow that marked healing.

"Nii-sama" she whispered, tears still cascading down her cheeks but they were overpowered by the still heavy rain, she was soaked to the bone and shivering with the cold and the fear that she had lost her brother.

"He will be fine," spoke Hikari, "but you cannot stay here,"

"It cannot be known you were here," spoke Ulquiorra standing behind her,

"We must create your alibi," continued Hikari, but she ignored them both.

Ulquiorra grabbed her from her elbow and pulled her up, he place his other hand to his face and muttered something incoherently whilst still gripping her arm as she tried to return to kneeling beside her brother on the wet ground. Ulquiorra shrugged off his jacket and pushed it into her grasp; he quickly untied the cloth sash of his pants and handed it to her as well.

Rukia was shocked at the bundle in her hands, looking up at his face was even more shocking, it was not a face she saw but a mask, a white mask, though not a hollow mask. That was what the muttering had been about, the mask covered his nose and cheekbones upwards, the hole for the eyes did not show his eyes but were pitch black, another spell like that of the hood, the mask itself was a spell of course, it certainly did not look like it could be torn off.

"Undress and wear that instead," he intoned as he tied his short black hair back into a ponytail, most of the hair framing his face fell forward, including a stubborn strand that hung down the middle of his forehead. His head shifted silently to the side to indicate the bushes and trees, which could give her privacy, "Do not attempt to escape woman, your safety and that of your brother is ensured by us."

She rushed to the trees as he spoke those words, she would not escape, not when her brother was amongst them, not when they were necessary in healing him. Behind the trees and bushes she pulled off her soaked top and shorts, shrugging the Quincy's jacket over her shoulder before taking off her underwear she placed the wet clothing into her small shoulder bag. Wrapping the coat around her and securing it with the sash, she donned the hood and moved further down the row of trees to pick up the package of lunch she had come to deliver Byakuya in the first place. The jacket was surprising warm, in comparison to the chill of her wet clothes, it had the appearance of a cotton/cashmere blend and yet, she touched the outer part of the jacket and felt no moisture despite the rain pouring down upon it, another spell, no wonder they were unfazed by the rain, regardless of its strength they would not get wet. She wondered if they could jump into a swimming pool and still remain dry. She found the packed lunch, safe from the wet under the bush it found itself under, quickly she ran back to her brother and the two Quincy's, slowing at the presence of a third Quincy that shared their height and built. They seemed not concerned with this other Quincy brother and so she surmised him to also be 'in on it', whatever 'it' was, it at least guaranteed her and her brother's survival.

Immediately she enquired of her brother, "He will survive," Ulquiorra intoned with the faintest hint of impatience, taking the food package from her grasp he destroyed it within his grasp, the package instantly evaporating to particles. Though he could not see, he knew her to be gaping at him in most likely a mixture of unnecessary emotions, though emotions themselves to him were unnecessary, "You were never here," he stated simply in summary.

Rukia crossed her arms and scowled, insulted by his destruction and the dismissal of his destruction of her masterpiece meal she had made for her brother, regardless of the logic that justified destroying that package. She stood glaring at him, the rain poured heavily upon them; Byakuya shielded from the downpour and the Quincy Hikari, the newcomer and herself were dry, but…the other. His hair dripped large droplets, the rain did not touch his mask but it did fall upon his exposed lips and chin, as well as his bare chest, the water running over the porcelain skin of his lean muscled chest, the rest of his attire was dry as expected. He was not shivering from the cold, she wondered at that; but what held her attention to him was the necklace he wore.

Rukia was mesmerized, the chain was like that of a blade, so sharp it cut through the raindrops with the slightest of _ting's_ and yet did not harm the wearer, hung from the blade-chain was a snowflake, it made a soft ringing sound when the droplets hit it like that of wind-chimes. It looked so fragile and yet strong, and seemed to almost glimmer; Rukia hardly realised her hand reaching up as she drew nearer to him, not until his own hand clasped tightly onto her wrist.

"We will leave now," he spoke, dropping her wrist instantly and turning around he knelt on one knee to allow her to clamber onto his back.

Rukia glanced embarrassingly to Hikari and the other but he was too focused on healing her brother, and the other was busy holding up the shield that blocked the rain. Climbing onto him she gazed one last time at Byakuya, _nii-sama_.

Ulquiorra held her by the crook of her knees, again more muttering before standing quickly and leaving with her piggybacking him.

He moved fast, she noted, faster than any speed a normal human could match but not quite a shunpo that required reiatsu and thus drew attention. Her arms hooked around his neck; she pressed her forehead against his cold back, gaining relief from its coolness. His jacket was warm, much warmer than when she first placed it on, she surmised it adjusted to the wearer's needs, she was no longer shivering thanks to the ingenious spell that was part of the jacket, but the coolness of his back provided a sort of emotional comfort from the stifling emotions that were still raw. She could not help but blame herself, if she had not foolishly left her gigai her brother would never have been in such a predicament. Tears streamed heavily down; sheltered from the heavier flow of rain they dropped singularly onto his back.

X-X-X

* * *

X-X-X

Each drop felt like a sting to Ulquiorra, each tear that touched the skin of his back felt heavier than it should; such meaningless worthless things should not been such a burden. There is no logic for such to have so great an effect, and yet…it seemed yet again Rukia Kuchiki defied logic

X-X-X

* * *

**AN; shinzui-yumi means spirit bow, or soul bow. In case someone doesn't know, **_**reiryoku**_** means spiritual energy, unlike spiritual pressure (reiatsu). **

**A lot of bows revealed; Ama's shinzui-yumi **_**Kuromu**_** means 'Dark Dreams/Visions'. Touketsu(Yuki)'s shinzui-yumi **_**Chitenma**_** means 'Blood Demon', Zora's shinzui-yumi **_**Munen Musō **_**means 'No Thoughts, No Illusions' and Hikari's shinzui-yumi **_**Seimei no Honshitsu **_**means 'Essence of Life'**

**Ama's **_**Kuromu**_** was not modelled off of anything, well not consciously. I believe it's original to some degree, like Ulquiorra warned in the previous chapter it promises inner suffering**

**Yuki's **_**Chitenma**_**, I kind of modelled off of "blood-bending" from Avatar; TLAB, but it is the reiryoku (spiritual energy) that flows throughout the 'body' that he manipulates and controls, the blood of the victim makes up the body of the bow, without a victim Yuki uses his own blood. **

**Zora's **_**Munen Musō**_** was as an anti to all the Matsuyukisou and their bows. As well as an anti to Aizen's and even Tosen's zanpakuto since both manipulate; the former by illusion, the latter by sensory manipulation (Tosen). Besides basic archery, it's mainly just a defensive soul-weapon**

**Hikari's shikai technique I kind of modelled off of Chad's one arm thing, but unlike the single attack blows, the control is like Byakuya's Senbonzakura in that the hands are just the control for the attack. This technique creates a connection to condensed/living reishii in the form of reiryoku inside spiritual beings, i.e. shinigami, hollows, other Quincy's etc., even Humans possess a little bit. It is the main technique of his shinzui-yumi, but he can use his bow as per norm, except its power draws from reishii and reiryoka in the immediate area, including his own energy, thus why the arrows will be more powerful.**

*****_**yotsugake**_**; is a four-fingered archer glove for the right hand (though its for the right I made Hikari also cover his left hand), used in the sport Kyudo, this glove is commonly used in bows with a pull greater than 20kg. **

**The whole shirtless Ulquiorra thing was not written in as a sort of romantic fluff but because I figured he'd be annoyed with her shivering from the cold of her wet clothes since that's weak and all so would offer his own to prevent that annoyance, just like his '**_**embrace'**_**. Plus, the changing out of her clothes allowed me to tie up the loose end regarding the lunch she had brought for Byakuya. Oh and Ulquiorra's mask thing seems totally masquerade'ish but really its just to justify taking of his jacket but keeping his identity anonymous. I don't recall Ulquiorra and Rukia meeting face-to-face in the actual run, well at least not close enough for her to recognise basic features or his voice; keeping his eyes hidden is self-explanatory. It **_**would**_** have been a full facial mask covering his lips, but then the next chapter needs his lips free for **contact**.**

**If Byakuya appeared weak in this 'battle' thing, just to clarify that **_**technically**_** the other guys did cheat, without Ama's absorption-barrier thing, it would have gone differently. If it wasn't clear, the barrier works in that the more pressure its source exerts the more and faster it source/victim's reiryoka is absorbed, since each release opens/unlocks the door for more energy or pressure to be released, the barrier will thus absorb great with each release. That is why when Byakuya went bankai, and used that technique he weakened rapidly, coz he practically opened all the gates, accessing more of his own energy allowing the barrier to do the same and subsequently steal it. **

**As for the whole Byakuya-dead-barrier-dissolved-Byakuya-brought-to-life-again thing, that was necessary for mi, I just needed him to die. The realisation that he did die, even only for a moment, is my golden ticket in later chaps. to torturing him now again with that definite possibility on top of all other stress I plan to heave on his shoulders. I would NEVER kill Kuya-kun; big brothers are meant to live to protect, and so tolerate the stress and trouble that doing so comes with.**

**Long author's note I know, and long chapter too, and lots of growling and smirking from the Quincy's. So what do you think? And reviews are really REALLY appreciated and encourage me to write sooner *HINT*.**

'**til next time**

**AlaeaMori**


	12. Chapter 4 Part 1

**A.N: I'm late…well that's an understatement! Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Bleach or the characters, not even just a little bit. Matsuyukisou etc. are my own creations. Enough of delays & onwards with the next chapter**

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* * *

**

**Thank You**

_**Chapter 4; 1**__**st**__** Part – Shinigami**_

**X**

* * *

They landed, Rukia entered into the apartment, heading straight for the bathroom; emptying her bag with her wet clothes onto the floor. She plugged the basin and let the cold water gush noisily, competing with the droning noise of the heavy rain outside. With the basin full, she braced herself against it, taking a deep breath and dunking her head under the cold pool. She opened her eyes under water, enjoying the biting feeling against her eyes, letting her breath slowly escape her, the bubbles of air forming around her and rising to the surface.

Ulquiorra stood in the doorway; the woman had disappeared into the apartment, forgetting his presence and his jacket that she still possessed.

_Foolish woman_

Foolish to let her guard down, though he had protected her, another example of how weak the shinigami is.

He stepped into the apartment, closing the door quietly behind him, the clear scent of human and shinigami overwhelming him.

His hollow senses flared entering the enemy lair; the spiritual pressure of the individuals increased their individual scents. Orihime Inoue's floral human scent, coupled with the Kuchiki Captains strong spring shinigami scent, and Rukia's own sweet scent suffocated him, tempted him.

The scent of Shinigami wetted his Hollow desires; it was not logical, he had been in her close presence for over an hour now, her brother had also been in close proximity. He had also spent his remaining winter in the company of Akira Tomoya and Kisshōten-sama – whose scent was a combination of Quincy, Shinigami, and Hollow. Yet now, alone in her presence her scent was slowly overpowering his resolve, he stepped further into the apartment, following her scent.

Ulquiorra stood beneath the open door, Rukia a few steps away, her naked back to him. Her wet clothes and his Matsuyukisou jacket lay in a disgruntled heap upon the floor.

An elegant hand raised itself to test the temperature of the cascading streams, accentuating her narrow waist and the slender dip of her spine. Her head bowed, hand fisted, she stepped into the tub turning her back to the droning shower, her head dipping back into the spray, hands smoothing the water through her short locks, eyes closed in relaxation.

If she had left her eyes open, she would have seen him, seen his emerald eyes rove slowly over her naked wet body presented before him.

Her back arched, her small breasts still peaked from the cold; the water streamed fluidly across her porcelain face, down her slender neck, her small breasts, over her tiny waist dipping slightly into her belly button, travelling further over the curve of her hipbones, her elegant mound, down her lean thighs.

_She is beautiful_

He acknowledged it as fact, his eyes saw all truths – all truths outside of the power of the Matsuyukisou. Beauty and grace are the truths of her body, her physical form. Her beauty differed from that of his sister Kasumi, of the Jimo Clan. Kasumi possessed all the womanly curves that encouraged lust, chaining men through their own desires; Rukia's beauty was charming, the kind that could chain a man's soul as well as his body.

Heart, he understood brotherhood, the kind he shared with his Matsuyukisou brothers, and even with Grimmjaw and Ashido. He understood admiration and loyalty; he held that for Tomi-dono, even though the man was a shinigami. Those levels of the heart he understood now but Love, love he did not fathom.

Kisshōten spoke of love; love is present in every level of the heart.

Without the broken laws, Rukia Kuchiki was still a threat; she encourages, mends and strengthens the heart to the extent that pride, honour, Duty is set aside for the sake of the heart. Her presence encourages such, **ensures** disobedience; she is a threat to Order…to Duty.

_"…a threat to the Matsuyukisou Order," _echoed Kisshōten-sama's words

Ulquiorra could hear her steady breaths, her heartbeat; smell her spirit blood, see her eyes still closed in numb contentment. Just yesterday, he was certain of his stance, certain that he could and would cut down Kisshōten and his brothers in order to save her, to preserve logic, but time had past since then. He had spared her from his brothers, yes, but truly going against the order, his logic was incomplete, and the advantages to destroying her outweighed any reserve he had left.  
He could kill her now…destroy her.

He stepped forward, stepped closer towards her, the Target.

_"Beware of the girl with the stolen hearts, the broken hearts, the wounded,"_ came Tomi-dono's parting words to him

His hand reached up to his chest, to the beating heart of his Quincy cross.  
_'Bound in Demon blood,'_ he recited the release call in his mind,

"_There is no place for desire in the Matsuyukisou, little brother…not anymore, too many times has it led to ruins," _came Kisshōten's voice again,

Ulquiorra took another step towards her, _'breathe into my arrows,'_ he continued

_"The girl is heart; her existence threatens Obedience, Duty, and Orders. Her existence threatens the **Matsuyukisou**," _Tomi-dono had explained to Ulquiorra after the official announcement of her death warrant

_'And shadow…'_ Ulquiorra halted…hesitated

_"…like your brothers. I am bound to Orders. There is **no** hope for change," _came Kisshōten's confident voice, this time, with a hint of despair

_'…no hope for change…' '…**her existence threatens the Matsuyukisou**…**threatens Obedience…' **'…I am bound to Orders…'_

Ulquiorra turned on his heels, 'she is heart,' any lingering doubt had been quashed, any and all advantage overruled, Rukia Kuchiki is heart, the only way to save Kisshoten-sama and his brothers. The majority of the Elders were corrupt, save for Uzume and Kangetsu, but they held all the power because by majority they controlled Kisshōten and therefore the Matsuyukisou agents and high-ranking Kokhabi.

Saving her, saves his family.

The Snowflake Cross dropped from his grasp, pulsating with a new beat, the beat of a master whose soul was no longer conflicted.

xXX

* * *

xXx

Rukia wrapped the towel tightly around herself, pulling the shower curtain back, the cool air chilled her instantly it did not help that she had failed to close the bathroom door when she had first entered. Her small bag with its wet clothes still lay haphazardly on the tile floor along with the shimmering white Matsuyukisou coat.

_Matsuyukisou_

Rukia bolted out of the shower, only to halt at the door. She could not remember whether he had departed after dropping her, but judging from the chair in front of the door, neatly folded clothes and slip-on shoes upon it, he had definitely remained, the delicious waft from the kitchen could not possible be Orihime's handiwork. The clothes did not look like something she owned; the material looked too soft, too rich. She slid shut the bathroom door, and admired the dress, designed like all her other dresses but more flattering to her small figure. She blushed at the underwear; silk-laced lingerie the kind Matsumoto would cry with sheer joy over.

It fit so perfectly, felt so perfectly, emphasising more her feeling of discomfort, she had done nothing to deserve this kind of attention, the kind that even the Kuchiki servants showered upon her over elegant kimono's. In fact everything that she had done over the years had only furthered her belief that she caused more trouble to the ones she loved, Ichigo's life, childhood and that of the other humans was forever changed because of her own weakness, and Nii-sama suffered because of her foolishness. She was weak, she knew it and still she mustered whatever courage she had left, whatever pride she had the right to claim and marched out to face her fate.

Ulquiorra easily balanced the teapot and cups upon the tray, setting them down upon the low table next to the food he had prepared; her quiet footsteps alerted his senses.

Rukia felt all her courage fail her, all her pride turn to shame upon the sight of him, a Matsuyukisou Assassin.  
Her head bowed, her hands fiddling with the skirt of her dress, her cheeks still slightly red,

"Yukino organised it all"

Her head shot upon, wide violet eyes alight with confusion, _Yukino?_

"Ryuken-dono's secretary; the clothes you wear are from her, she…enjoys fashion, do not be surprised to find more clothing within the drawers of your room."

"Ryuken-dono," echoed Rukia, Ulquiorra merely arched a brow and sat himself down, gesturing for her to do the same.

Rukia automatically complied, her eyes instantly turning on him, If not for the black void that were his eyes she would have thought him a hollow, an Arrancar, since the attire was quite similar to Aizen's soldiers. He poured the hot tea into the small cup, its strong aroma overwhelming her, jasmine, he smelt like jasmine…and water lilies.

She took up the cup and sipped it slowly, inhaling the wonderful scent, "mmmh delicious," a small smile escaped her.

Ulquiorra watched in disapproval, he could have poisoned the tea and yet the thought had not even crossed her mind, could Trust be so easily earned. Even he had prepared his own meals amidst the Matsuyukisou, until he was certain they would not have it poisoned or drugged. Tomi-dono had found it amusing enough to insist Ulquiorra cook enough for two. Maybe it was a human thing, something that Shinigami themselves were also weak to.

"Thank you for saving me and for assisting my Nii-sama…in the end" spoke Rukia calmly, though still incensed that he had not interfered in her brother's battle sooner.

Reading her he supplied "Interfering sooner with your brother would have exposed you and I, it would be a fruitless attempt to have done so,"

"MY BROTHER NEARLY DIED YOU BAKA!" she shouted at him enraged, her fists slamming down onto the table

Ulquiorra was unfazed by her reaction, "Your brother did die, if not for his impending meeting with Kisshōten-sama he would have remained dead," he replied smoothly returning his gaze to her, he did not expect her reaction then to his words, her features falling into something close to abandonment and grief.

"I could have helped in some way," she spoke, her voice nearly breaking

"You possess neither the strength nor skill to have been of any use," Ulquiorra replied, her eyes snapped to him revealing a portion of her soul at the same time. His words had been a slap to her pride, to her self-esteem as a shinigami, as a being. He had gone too far, he realised then, he had done as much to destroy her soul as an arrow would destroy her existence. He needed her trust, her faith; the next logical step would be to secure her in training, willingly. To do so he needed to act human, to be…sensitive to her…feelings, inwardly he cringed but it was necessary to ensure her acquiescence and trust.  
"Understand that…" He sought for the right words to appease her, soften her, words a real human Quincy would say, "Had you been revealed they would have easily overpowered you, going as far as to use your Nii-sama to ensure your submission. That achieved, I would have been summoned to destroy you,"

Silence, her eyes softened to the truth of his words until suddenly, "YOU"RE **ANRUI****?**" her eyes accused alight with comprehension, her mind working to fit the pieces of information she knew, "Anrui Kisshōten. They spoke of Anrui, only Anrui can 'dispatch of me'," she paused thinking back to what they had learned at the meeting from Uryuu, "Anrui Kisshōten was the first ever Quincy. I'm guessing certain names belong especially to certain families. Therefore you're Anrui, and if you **are** Anrui then you are a Kisshōten," surmised Rukia artfully

"An intelligent shinigami…a rarity," commented Ulquiorra instead, she scowled at his insult of her kind, and rolled her eyes at his compliment of her,

"You're Anrui Kisshōten…" her curiosity kicked it, "you spoke of Kisshōten-sama, is Kisshōten-sama your father then?"

Ulquiorra had always known that there is a distinct difference between lying and not telling the whole truth. The Uzume twins were masters of it, applying their own science to it by defining information into three categories: truths, lies, and nitwit's (NTWT – not the whole truth). Aizen's lack of knowledge regarding his second Resurrección state was an example of a 'nitwit', his own reports to Kisshōten regarding his daily activities since arriving were a combination of lies and 'NTWTs'.  
He was ordered to keep the truth of Kisshōten-sama's identity a secret; he knew Humans and Shinigami alike valued honesty and so to ensure an order was kept at the same time not endangering the trust of Rukia Kuchiki, NTWT was necessary.

"I am the younger brother," replied Ulquiorra coolly, truth(half)fully

"Why did you save me? I will **not** betray Soul Society for you if that's what you are thinking!"

"Betrayal is subject to opinion,"

"**You** are betraying your Nii-sama, Why?" Rukia demanded harshly as if it was the greatest sin in the worlds

"Little is gained with you as the target,"

"Tsch! And what about my friends? What about the others? Do you gain more by killing them?"

"Firstly, the Matsuyukisou do not kill…we destroy," her eye twitched at his gall for correcting her, "As for your nakama," he continued, "they will not be harmed. **You** are the **only** Target,"

~  
_The **only** target_  
~

His words froze her, it could not be true; it made sense but still, Nii-sama said. Then it clicked, he had lied to keep her safe, to keep Ichigo and the others from acting foolishly; so the meeting he was hoping for with Kisshōten-sama was really to ensure that she is spared.

_Nii-sama_

"I see…Our brothers are meeting then; Kisshōten–sama has agreed to the meeting correct?

"Yes," he answered, it was the truth, Kisshōten had agreed on the meeting, but her brother would not be meeting Kisshōten-sama but himself. One of his brothers would also be present as a guard, Ryuusei probably; therefore, it is true that their brothers would be meeting. The factual details were of little importance since she had not asked. So far, he had succeeded in not lying to her. "Ryuken-dono will be informing your brother later on today,"

Absently she ate, too absorbed in her thoughts, finally she lifted her gaze to his watchful eyes, "Why are you betraying your Nii-sama," she asked softly

Ulquiorra sighed openly, betrayal, initially he was willing to label it betrayal but since last night, "Initially…I did not believe your death warrant to be logical or advantageous." He took a long nip, dwelling on the heavy aroma, "Kisshōten shattered my standing; your execution fractured Soul Society before, by announcing you the target Soul Society will be fractured again. Aizen will use such an advantage to strike thus exposing himself. By that, the order is advantageous to us by exposing Aizen for destruction and weakening Soul Society enough to overthrow them."

A small bitter laugh escaped her, "Yeah that makes perfect sense," her voice certain but her features faltered, "of course it does! So why save me then?" She asked her eyes honestly curious as to the reason, accepting her own destruction

"Orihime Inoue"

She choked, literally, she reached frantically for the napkin as her coughing increased, her eyes weary of him.

"She was declared a traitor yet you still travelled to Hueco Mundo to rescue her,"

"Of course you BAKA, she's my friend. She was tricked into going to Hueco Mundo; I did what any friend would have done."

"You disobeyed an order, a standing, you disobeyed your Superiors," he continued to push

"For your information, Quincy," she hissed, "My brother was supportive, and I bet my captain and a few others backed our actions."

"Precisely,"

Rukia stuttered, realizing then that she had acknowledge his assumption; even regarding Orihime, Soul Society had been fractured, "What's your point Quincy," she huffed impatiently at him, folding her arms

"You have the freedom to disobey Orders, you have the resolve and heart to go against commands or what you believe is right."

Rukia stilled at the mention of heart, it struck a cord inside, 'could it be?' Short black hair, porcelain skin, she estimated that he was roughly the right height; 'it can't be though, could it?' Ulquiorra Schiffer, Cuatro Espada…Orihime spoke of him to her, of his character, of his **death**. She shook her head, it couldn't be…it wasn't, he was a Hollow, an Arrancar, this guy is a Matsuyukisou, a Quincy, 'a Kisshōten' an inner voice resounded in her head. A half Quincy-Shinigami had been born into that family, it was possible then that they too had discovered a way for hollowfication. Could he be Ulquiorra…no, he can't be, the Espada is loyal to Aizen and this one is…not?

"Since the War a certain…Ritual was devised," explained Ulquiorra, hollowfication came instantly to Rukia's mind, she gripped the skirt of her dress, a Kido spell on the tip of her tongue, "since then every Kisshōten and fully realised Matsuyukisou and Kokhabi takes part in the ritual," he paused as if thoughtful

She hated it but knew it was her turn to ask, her mind raced with ways to escape without leaving her gigai, "What does the…ritual do?"

"It takes away freedom," he answered, she visibly gulped, "it chains the beings soul," her eyes darted to him and back and forth calculating all her options. "My brothers are bound to Kisshōten; Kisshōten is bound to the Council Elders"

Rukia's wide purple-blue eyes shot to him not hollowfication but…obedience, "A…democracy then?"

"The kind that names you a Target," he reminded her

"Okay true, but you've got to admit their reasoning for it is sound, it's logical and advantageous to you."

"At the price of their freedom," he posed to her

"No but…wait…their freedom, you haven't done that ritual thing?" she asked incredulously,

"No, as well as a few other of my brothers,"

"That…Hikari and the other Matsuyukisou?" he nodded in answer. "What is wrong with such a ruling, Soul Society has the absolute rule of the Sotaicho. If the majority rules in favour of a certain action it is certainly better that one mans own force of will."

Ulquiorra remembered Tomi-dono's first lesson, to catch a rooster for killing you could either wait for it to fight with another and creep up then, or tame it by offering it feed, slowly but surely it would draw closer, the Matsuyukisou apply the same method to gain trust. The Matsuyukisou knew everything especially that which overlapped with Soul Society, by that he himself knew many things, the kind that would be important to her, the kind that could win her over.  
"A few years ago, the Council over ruled Kisshōten-sama to ensure the death of a Council members own children. The Council member, Elder Kangetsu had already paid the price, but the majority Council thought that the death of his eldest son and daughter would fulfil his punishment."

"They did that to their own?" she exclaimed in disbelief and disgust

"The daughter's name was Masaki, Masaki Kurosaki"

"You mean Grand Fisher was…?"

"The Council refused to dispatch Matsuyukisou to destroy Grand Fisher. They ordered Kisshōten to secure Elder Kangetsu during the attacks. I believe they also lured Grand Fisher into Karakura. Do you understand now?"

"I…Yes but, what does it have to do with saving me, protecting me. Is this about Ichigo? He hasn't shown any Quincy abilities,"

"Because Ichigo Kurosaki is not a Quincy, he may be of Quincy descent but that it all. Protecting you, saving you, will save my family," he answered evenly.

Rukia wished at that moment that she could see his eyes, past that damn hollow-like mask and the black void, just to read him, to see if he was as determined as he sounded. She knew; could tell he did not know how she would save his family but only that she was the key to doing so. She wasn't confident, a part of her still thought that he could be Ulquiorra Schiffer that he could be that Espada though he was so obviously a Quincy, a Matsuyukisou Quincy. She wasn't anything special, she was obviously more cursed than special, first she had led to Kaien's death, Ichigo's forced involvement as a Shinigami, the Hogyoku, and now this, a Matsuyukisou Agent practically asking for her help to topple his Council by doing what exactly.

"I can train you, to become stronger, more powerful," he offered her

"I can't, you can't the others will ask, Urahara will,"

"Uryuu Ishida will be trained also. Yukino is already arranging everything with Uryuu; he will explain that she is training him and that you wish to train with him also. As far as your group are concerned, the present enemy are Quincy's, training with him, the only Quincy of your group is logical. Yukino will be here shortly with Ishida; she will drop you at Urahara's Shoten. Your story is that you fell off to sleep whilst waiting for Ishida; he will continue the story from there. You and the others will be informed of the fight; they will be of the belief that Aizen, to ensure your brother's death at the hands of a Matsuyukisou and prevent his meeting with Kisshōten, fabricated your presence at the graveyard. The scouting teams will no doubt be dissolved and training partners arranged, Ishida will put you forth as his partner, there may be questions especially from Kurosaki, you will have to assure everyone this is your choice."

"That is it then, you have every base covered, every path covered, but where to from here. You train me and what, wait until we are caught out and destroyed."

"I know the Elders, they have been meeting Aizen behind Kisshōten's back, they will see greater advantage of joining forces with Aizen," the name of the former shinigami captain came from his lips with such cold contempt, _he cannot be the Espada then_. "They will push for a meeting and from there force Kisshōten's hand before my brothers can be called to despatch of Aizen. We will wait until after communication with Soul Society at the end of next week, and move forth from there once numbers are clear."

"How do you know?"

"It is logical for your Sotaicho to limit communication and close off all known access ways into Soul Society."

"Known access-ways, you have a way into Soul Society, is there anything you assassins can't do?"

"Not to my knowledge, the Matsuyukisou have explored all levels. The access-way into Soul Society though is a separate business; there is a long standing family within Soul Society that is a descendent of the Matsuyukisou."

"Really?" Rukia exclaimed, "who is," her eyes dawned with understanding, "The Shiba clan isn't it?"

"Hmm…Kaien Shiba the founding father of the Shiba clan was born Shiba Kangetsu, the younger twin to Kaien Kangetsu. Shiba Kangetsu possessed no Quincy abilities but was well practiced in swordsmanship. He was killed and cleansed and it is suspected that during that time, he overheard other Matsuyukisou calling for him and his brother so confused his name as Kaien Shiba and took that name in Soul Society. Ginrei Kuchiki was the shinigami that cleansed him, and notes in one of the Kuchiki history books of this, of Kaien Shiba's real identity. Kaien Shiba entered the academy, was one of the first prodigy shinigami, and rose quickly through the ranks, he earned a name and through your grandfather, a rank to the Shiba name. The Shiba clan became the 5th ranked noble clan in Soul Society serving the noble Kuchiki clan; his son shared his name as well as his grandson, your former Lieutenant."

"Kaien-dono," she whispered, it made sense now, Ichigo's resemblance to Kaien; they were related through a line, a clan, a family they did not know of. "Kaien and Miyaki their deaths was it…?" she couldn't finish, she couldn't ask. The Elders had allowed and orchestrated Masaki's death, did they also do the same to Kaien and Miyaki-dono.

"Yes. Kaien had discovered your grandfathers' document regarding his own grandfather, the first Kaien Shiba. He reconnected with the Kangetsu clan, learning from them also, as a prodigy he learnt quickly, by Matsuyukisou law all capable Matsuyukisou have rights to a Quincy Cross, to his own family's shinzui-yumi. The Elders did not want a shinigami to possess a shinzui-yumi – a spirit bow – regardless of his rights by lineage. When Miyaki and her team were attacked, there were two active Kangetsu members in the Matsuyukisou,"

"Twins,"

"Yes, named Kaien and Shiba after the initial twins of their clan, the Council prevented them from assisting, they gave the Order of not interfering, forcing them to watch."

Tears rolled down her cheeks unhindered, she did not interfere in Kaien's battle because it was not her place, it was a battle for his pride, yet they could not interfere because they were forced to obey, forced to watch, "Would it…would it have made a difference, she was possessed by it, so was…Kaien-dono"

"The Matsuyukisou have a method to separate different souls or spirit matter, they would have been able to separate the hollow out"

"Of course the Matsuyukisou have a method. You seem so unstoppable, and yet you hope to bring them down…Heart," she surmised, doing anything and everything, going up against anything and everything for the ones you care about, for your friends, your family. She extended her hand to him, "Rukia Kuchiki,"

"I know who you are," he replied blandly

"An official introduction doesn't hurt," she waited expectantly for him to take her hand, but he seemed not inclined, she retracted her hand and continued to wait, hinting to him to introduce himself as well,

Ulquiorra destroyed the small porcelain cup in his hand, and stood up as the sound of a car slowed down and parked outside, he moved to the window, sliding it open, "Anrui Kisshōten," he answered before hopping out and disappearing.

Rukia with a small smile upon her face ran to the window and closed it shut before any rain could get in, but the rain had already suddenly stopped, and even the dark clouds looked less ominous.

* * *

**AN:** **Yay I've finally got this thing up, took forever, I was braindead for most of the time, and indecisive & constantly rewriting it for the latter part. I'm not too sure how it turned out, but I've rewritten this way too many times now, I need to get something up. Nehu its pretty long aye, I wanted to get Rukia to character, I hope I've achieved that, but I still wanted that insecurity and guilt still showing. I hope Ulquiorra ain't OC, he's certainly more talkative, for the only reason it was necessary to give a lil in order to get a lil, i.e. her trust. But still yeah...it didn't turn out great, but yeah at least its something i guess  
Oh yeah, only Ulqui can be pervy without actually being…well pervy!**

**NTWT (nitwit) – I think its brilliant, I abide by it practically ALL the time**

**What else, oh yeah, what do you think of Ichigo's growing family tree! Makes sense and totally fits, imo. I hope you can understand Ulquiorra's stance, at first it was all about logic to him, but since his encounter with Kisshōten he became a bit unsure, he saved her from his brothers yea but he was now questioning his reason and purpose, and so in comes ****heart****. Friendship, brotherhood, family etc. which is the 'heart' of the whole story…HAHA, seems really brilliant now that I think about it, wish I realised that when writing it. NEHU before I forget – PLEASE REVIEW!**

'**til nxt time (fortnight tops)**  
**AlaeaMori**


	13. Chapter 4 Part 2

**A.N: sorry for the delay, was 'spose to be a fortnight but I'm in summer school on top of working full time this festive season...one word or maybe its just one onomatopeia whatever, URGH!**

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**Thank You  
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_**Chapter 4; 2**__**nd**__** Part – Quincy**_

* * *

"Kisshōten-sama," intoned the returning Matsuyukisou bowing low

"I suppose you have a legitimate reason as to why you did not respond to your first summons"

Kuroshio's eyes darted to Ama in accusation and annoyance, Ama smirked only slightly before answering, "I performed the Kangetsu barrier"

Kisshōten's gaze shifted to Ryuusei Fubuki and then to the tense form of Touketsu Hatsuyuki. "This was to be a quick informing of our latest objectives, but it seems that a revision of what has passed is in order before that arises. Very well then," Kisshōten's eyes closed, and the four followed also, drawing back in their mind to the moments that eventually brought them here. The Quincy cross for each of them seemed to chime, and the faintest glitter of reishii floated from them to Kisshoten-sama's own Quincy cross.

Finally emerald eyes opened, "I see," spoke Kisshōten-sama, having truly 'seen' the previous event through the eyes of each of the Matsuyukisou at hand. "It is interesting would you not agree that between the time of your _sensing_ her presence until the messenger butterfly broke up your battle," piercing emerald eyes bore into Kuroshio's gaze, "that you _remained_ uninterrupted by either party, your own brothers or that of the Shinigami's allies."

Kuroshio and Ama snapped to attention realising the meaning in Kisshōten's words. None of their brothers let alone Kisshōten had appeared in over an hour since they first sensed her nor had any of the Visoreds or other Shinigami, even the Kurosaki kid and other humans who would surely have appeared if they believed her in danger. Yet none came, no one appeared; for the girl that fractured Soul Society once before, none had come to her aid this time except for her brother who was within the immediate area. Was she still as beloved as they had assumed, there was no doubt in their mind about that, so only one question was left, why did no one appear. Why was Kisshōten-sama even unawares of her presence; Kisshōten-sama that always knew what had happened, what was happening, and what _was to_ happen, in this instance knew nothing of her presence out of her gigai, of the battle with the Kuchiki Captain, of the barrier that would prevent a messenger butterfly.

"It would seem logical that what you sensed was nothing but an illusion. You two are assigned to the Northern sector, besides the Kuchiki's scouting area no other of his group would be within the area, therefore none would be any wiser."

"Such illusionary power _and_ shielding ability could only be performed by one of us," commented Ryuusei

"That is true, but only if you are assuming a shielding spell was used, no shielding spell not even the Kangetsu barrier can block _my_ senses. Kuroshio and Ama both released their bow and yet I was unaware of such and therefore could not see these events unfold through their eyes. No shielding spell is capable of that, none that belong to the Shinigami, the Matsuyukisou, none even within my own family. Only by illusion, an illusionary ability strong enough to misdirect the bind you all have to me."

"Aizen," whispered Touketsu Hatsuyuki, with the faintest hint of incense for duping his Chitenma's demon senses

"If such had succeeded Captain Kuchiki would have been destroyed," spoke Ama, "Ryuu mentioned he is to have a meeting with you, Kisshoten-sama"

"Yes and no, Captain Kuchiki will be meeting with Anrui, who he believes is I. It is paramount that they know nothing of my existence and continue to believe that Anrui is the King."

At that moment another Matsuyukisou Quincy entered, Kasumi of the Jimo Clan, "Kisshōten-sama," she spoke bowing low, "Aizen-sama will be meeting with the Council Elders very soon,"

"Very well then Kasumi, inform the Elders I will be joining them shortly", replied Kisshōten, Kasumi bowed low in reply and then left.

"Aizen-sama, but Kisshōten," exclaimed Yuki, but Kisshōten's calmly raised hand silenced him from continuing,

"The Elders do not wish for me to meet with Captain Kuchiki, it is believed by them to be much too troublesome and potentially dangerous, on those accounts I agree with them, though it is obvious that they are unaware of that standing."

"This is why they tried to cancel the meeting with Kuchiki, with the aid of Aizen by faking the presence of the target, a battle would ensue with the Kuchiki Captain resulting in his destruction," voiced Ryuusei

"So it would appear, regardless though, I have no intention of attending the meeting with Kuchiki, he wishes to meet with the King and that _King_ is Anrui. It is true enough, the Elders have been pushing for Anrui to be made King, and he will become King once this ordeal is over, for now they will have to make do with him carrying the appearance of being King." The four nodded to Kissh ōten in answer,

Kisshōten's features then changed, "Ryuusei and Touketsu, I am assigning you to watch over Yoruichi Shihoin and Kisuke Urahara, I cannot allow them to interfere in any way into my plans. Watch them at all times." Ryuusei and Yuki bowed low before leaving, "Kuroshio, keep a watch on the Visoreds; Shinji Hirako and Kensei Muguruma especially. The Visoreds main enemy is Aizen, it is likely they will step aside regarding the Rukia Kuchiki business, regardless of Ichigo Kurosaki's stance; I believe only Kensei Muguruma and possibly Hachigen Ushoda will continue to stand by Kuchiki." Kuroshio took his leave,

Ama remaining behind awaited his command from Kisshōten-sama. A moment of silence seemed to stretch on until finally Kisshōten spoke, "The twins...they are troublesome, would you not agree?"

"They are certainly a handful, Kisshōten-sama, but as is the case with any pair of siblings, be it twins or those with a difference in age," replied Ama smoothly

Kisshōten answered with a smile, "Indeed Ama, troublesome and yet they are a necessary and fundamental part of the Matsuyukisou. Continue as you were Ama."

Ama stood still, confused about what had just passed but the inquisitive piercing eyes of Kisshōten-sama snapped him to attention; he bowed his leave and left directly.

Kisshōten's eyes closed in weariness, "You heard all I presume?"

A figure formed stepping out from the shadow, "Yes"

"You are a master of Illusions, but bound to me your loyalty is therefore unquestionable. That which binds you to me, binds you brothers also, you cannot release your bows without my knowing of such. Your thoughts and feelings may be yours and remain a secret to my knowledge but your senses belong to me; all that you see, touch, hear, taste and smell so can I. Yet here we have a case in which two of your brothers encountered a Shinigami, and engaged against him, and I remained unaware, the Kangetsu barrier was cast and yet I was unawares." Emerald eyes awakened and locked onto him, "You are a master of Illusions; on this matter speak the truth...the whole truth"

Tanmou Sagiri, the longest serving, most experienced and second most powerful Matsuyukisou agent returned Kisshōten's steady gaze, "I am a master of Illusions, but nothing that you _wish_ and _command_ to know can be hidden from you, my soul is yours to command and forever open for your scrutiny."

"Yes, your soul, your shinzui-yumi, and your hollow-self are bound to me, but what of the soul and bow that is not bound to me. What then?"

"Munen Musō possesses the ability to misdirect the connection but not such to overpower it, Yukizora is too loyal to you to betray you."

"Hmmm...I have a meeting to attend, return to your post," supplied Kisshōten, Tanmou bowed and vanished. Kisshōten stood and stepped down, stepping into a completely different room at the same time, a few hundreds of miles away. "Council Elders, shall we begin," spoke Kisshōten taking a seat between them, "summon Aizen forth," The servant bowed low and left the room to retrieve Aizen who stood just outside of the large oak doors.

Aizen entered, seating himself on the singular oak chair facing Kisshōten-sama and the Council Elders,

"Let us begin, state your purpose Sōsuke Aizen, former Gotei-13 Captain," began Kisshōten-sama,

Aizen glanced up, "I am here to form an alliance with the Matsuyukisou," he smiled serenely, "True Order is Absolute Order. Only with the downfall of the Gotei-13, the restructuring of Soul Society and the reign of a real King can absolute justice, absolute Order prevail in All the levels of Existence; the Kingdom realm, Soul Society, the Living World and Hueco Mundo. Together we can achieve that goal, a goal that I know we both share."

x0X0x

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x0X0x

Ulquiorra walked straight into the Observatory Sanctuary where he resided, he knew the others to be within waiting for him. Their objective had taken a drastic turn, a turn that was in some ways inevitable.

"Ulquiorra-dono we're really really sorry, really!" spoke Sazanami the moment he entered

"Is that a different jacket?" asked Isunami, his eyebrows knitted quizzically as he looked over the jacket Ulquiorra wore, until Sazanami elbowed him in the gut hard. No was the cool reply Ulquiorra gave him, it was a lie but nevertheless the truth that he had left his previous jacket with her wasn't of any consequence, let Hikari and Zora assume he had retrieved the jacket after her use.

"What of Byakuya Kuchiki?"

"We did as you instructed, I healed him letting him regain consciousness whilst we spoke of Aizen. He is under the belief that Aizen faked her presence to draw the immediate Matsuyukisou and himself into battle, his death would subsequently prevent his meeting with Kisshōten-sama," answered Hikari

"Our Brothers as well as Kisshōten-sama will also come to the same belief. Hikari informed me as soon as you had left and of where you expected her to appear. Only her presence there would create a risk, other possible areas her allies are within distance, therefore your assumption seemed the most logical; I summoned Munen Musō and was able to encase that quadrant. Detection from Ama and Kuroshio could not be helped, but it at least kept our other brothers and Kisshōten out of the loop, her own allies were included in that though."

"Which worked to our advantage," answered Ulquiorra, nodding to Zora in thanks,

"Yes, and since the Elders also do not want Kisshōten-sama to meet with Captain Kuchiki, it would appear logical that Aizen was behind this, working with the Elders to sabotage the meeting," spoke Zora

"That makes no sense unless the Elders are working with that Fucktard in the first place," spoke Grimmjaw, Ashido agreed with Grimmjaw though not with such 'eloquence'.

"The Elders, the majority at least," corrected Zora from the looks he received from the twins, "they support Aizen, and have been pushing for a meeting. Rumour has it that they have already met with Aizen numerous times, they are pushing for a formal meeting, for Aizen to go before them **and** Kisshōten."

'_As expected_,' thought Ulquiorra sighing, relieved that the Elders had further proven how corrupt they are and how necessary it was to overthrow them, but at the same time frustrated that they were now officially in a more difficult position. Logically they would need a greater number on their side, but from there Fate held the reins.

"You mean those incontinent geezers are with Aizen and are roping in Kisshōten as well. Tsch, Fucktards the lot of them," blurted Grimmjaw, which Isunami heartily seconded.

"The tables have turned then," spoke Ashido, earning the attention of everyone, "we cannot protect her forever; the Elders are with Aizen, it will not be long before they overpower Kisshōten to side with them also. There will be **no** new order. Eventually we will have to come to heads against them, _all_ of them."

"We need more of us to stand against them," spoke Sazanami

"Once the time comes we can easily join forces with the Shinigami, they want to keep her alive too," supplied Isunami

"Those prats will be split; besides Kurosaki and the other humans, plus the Shinigami and Visoreds already here, I doubt much more in Soul Society would join in,"

"Grimmjaw's right, we should expect less than half a dozen still in Soul Society to join, I doubt the Visoreds will be a part though, their main enemy is Aizen I doubt they'll sidetrack themselves even though Ichigo would stand against it," spoke Hikari

"But that Fucktard would be in this; fighting with us _will_ be fighting against him," exclaimed Grimmjaw

"They do not know that though," answered Ashido, "and I doubt they will become aware until the near end. If the Elders join with Aizen, with or without Kisshōten aligned as well, they won't be blurting it; they'll keep that card close in hand."

"Either way, the Shinigami will not give us enough numbers; we must recruit more within our own," continued Hikari

"The Kokhabi are not possible, highest ranking members are also bound to orders, which leave lower ranking members and the students at the Academy. The Spring break will be in a fortnight's time, the older students and the orphan students will be returning, we can recruit from amongst them," spoke Zora

"So basically a bunch of weaklings and pubescent brats will make up our numbers! Tsch...figures," spoke Grimmjaw rubbing his eyes in frustration

"We have no other solution, your younger brother Chaz will also be returning won't he," asked Hikari turning to the twins,

"Yeah but he's only fourteen," replied both twins in unison

"It is better to bring them in," spoke Ulquiorra finally, "than for them to be turned against us, or killed. They are returning to the Matsuyukisou domain anyhow, neither Aizen nor the Elders will tolerate insubordination. Keep in contact with your brother, if all is revealed before their arrival we need to know their arrival in order to intercept."

"So we're still operating per norm, in secret and all?"

"It is the safest and surest way, we cannot contact any Kokhabi without earning attention and suspicion from the others, that line of recruitment must therefore be held off until the last moment. We need the most able bodied Quincy's, therefore Hikari you will train Uryuu Ishida, the Ishida's have always been a powerful clan, train him to discover his shinzui-yumi."

"Uryuu Ishida? But due to circumstance he will remain in a group or pair, he will not break off, it will arise too much suspicion to cause him to do so."

"He will come with Rukia Kuchiki, you will train him and I will train Rukia. He knows me as the Quatro Espada therefore I cannot be in his presence."

Grimmjaw literally choked at that, _'Maybe the twins do have a point'_, he turned his azure eyes onto Ulquiorra and asked in German with his trademark smirk plastered on his face "Also was fordern wir sie?" **[So what are we calling you?]**

The twins chuckled, and even Ashido and Hikari smiled, "Anrui," answered Ulquiorra, and then turning to Hikari, "Schatten ihres" **[****Shadow her]**

Hikari nodded and left.

"Where the hell are you going?" boomed Grimmjaw, as Ulquiorra walked around them and towards another door

x0x0

'_Home'_ He answered to himself as he walked into the dark room right to the end where three bird cages sat upon a desk.

A tiny shaft of light filtered through the top window, the beam of light touching upon the cages. Within the cages weren't birds but butterflies, hell butterflies; the cage on the left housed snow white messenger butterflies, once a message was relayed it would disappear and then reappear in front of Kisshōten. The cage on the right housed sea-blue transportation butterflies that would transport to any one of four locations the user wished to go.

The Matsuyukisou owned each location; the Spring Manor in the south that resided upon the top of a mountain ridge - where they were previously before transferring to Karakura, the Winter Manor to the east set within the mountains, the Summer Manor to the west - a seaside property enclosing a whole cove to their privacy. The forth location was within Soul Society, the long abandoned Shiba Clan Manor, a large property on the rim of the 1st district.

The centre cage housed a different kind of transportation butterfly; this hell butterfly transported the user directly into the Matsuyukisou Dominion, past the Byakuren barrier and right into the empire.

The situation had taken a turn, with his agreement with Rukia and now the revelation that the Elders sided with Aizen, he had to get away to clear his thoughts, to think clearly, rationally, logically. Ulquiorra opened the cage and reached in, one of the hell butterflies landed upon his hand; he extracted his hand and closed the cage, bringing the butterfly to eye level. Out of the sunlight, the butterfly appeared a dull white, in the sunlight it fluttered with a prism of colours reflecting endlessly.

"Take me home," the wings chimed and in the blink of an eye, Ulquiorra found himself within the Matsuyukisou Dominion.

x0x

* * *

x0x

'_The Kisshōten Manor'_

He arrived inside the Kisshōten Manor, well the Matsuyukisou Meeting room to be exact, which was really a circular courtyard. The Meeting 'Room' was an impressive sight, rimmed by a multitude of stone archways and at the centre of a wild garden. The Manor was built around it; Kisshōten's quarters to the North, Ulquiorra's own in the Southern wing, the Kisshōten library took up the entire eastern wing, whilst the Western wing contained all else.

The Meeting Area encompassed eight white-blossomed cherry trees; deep markings lined the marble floor creating a snowflake symbol. The eight cherry-blossoms represented the tip of each stem; the Blossoms were very old, over 2000yrs he was told but such could not possibly be true. The trunks were large and weathered, forming on their own a low seat; the Elder of each clan sat upon it during meetings, the corresponding Matsuyukisou agent would stand upon the Elders' left.

The head Blossom tree represented the Kisshōten family, on the left the 2nd most noble family, third on the right, subsequent families following the pattern, so that the eighth clans' tree – which happened to be the now extinct Uhyou clan, was directly opposite the Kisshōten blossom. The Uhyou blossom _had_ been dead since the War but still standing, the trunk and branches black, however _now_ the Blossom was alive. Kisshōten-sama had told him that the Noble Blossoms would bloom when war was eminent. He had instantly dismissed it, it was not possible or logical; but now before his eyes all the Noble Blossoms were in full white bloom.

Amidst the Matsuyukisou Ulquiorra had gradually been learning that _logic_ and reason were never as they should be.

White blossom petals drifted around him, as well as...pink? Ulquiorra turned; the tree noted for the Kisshōten clan was blooming white _and_ pink blooms. Ulquiorra walked towards it, pressing a hand against the trunk as he looked up into the branches sprouting white and pink blossom side by side, "You cannot exist," he muttered aloud, as if expecting the Noble Blossom to explain itself, to explain its duo blossoms. No answer came, the breeze rustled the blossoms, cushioning the fall from branch to the floor; white blossoms floated to the ground but the white and pink blossom petals from the Kisshōten Blossom seemed to dance about in the air, _or battle_, a part of him thought.

His eyes saw all truths, his eyes could not been fooled by what did not and could not exist, but here before his eyes was an anomaly one of many he had encountered amidst the Matsuyukisou that defied truth, logic, reason and existence. Ulquiorra closed his eyes and walked away, he did not understand but truth is truth, existence is existence, if it was so then so be it, he had no right to question its existence, though this did not stop him wondering and analyzing. His light footsteps bruised into the already fallen petals, passing through one of the many arches he darted into the garden manoeuvring subconsciously through the various trees and shrubs to the closest entry into the Manor.

The Manor was dead, not even the whisper of servants in the distance, the servants had left, accompanying the Council Elders at the Spring Matsuyukisou Estate since Ryuken's audience. The stark quietness was unsettling; in Las Noches, it was natural, here in the Manor and within the Dominion, quietness was uncommon as much as it was unnatural.

Before the shift to the Spring Estate it had been winter; he had awoken just a week after his battle with Ichigo to found himself within this very Manor. The timing coincided with the Winter-Break return of the senior students and orphan Quincy's from the **Helmward **Academy and **Rædbeorn **College, the two schools in Europe that trained all Quincy's; the very schools every Matsuyukisou and Kokhabi was educated, Ryuken Ishida and previous Ishida's had been educated at _Helmward_. Outside of his wing, there was no escaping the noise from the students, servants, other Quincy Agents, or the endless droning of one Elder or another. Now though, a heavy silence descended upon the Dominion, save for the quiet buzz of nature.

Ulquiorra walked out of the barren Kisshōten Manor, through the lonely walkways of the Matsuyukisou Dominion towards the lake, where the only person that was present within the Matsuyukisou Dominion resided.

_**Akira Tomoya**_

* * *

**AN: I extended this chapter a bit with the last two instalments. [english translation] obviously! as to why Grimmjaw know german, well to me Jaegerjacques sounds french, but i'm gonna say its more swiss, therefore he just knows german as well, just go with it, their won't be much german spoken between the two, probably none at all after this, but just to let everyone know, the Quincy's are multinational, international taught, and international fluent. **

**Ræd – Old _high_ German for council or wise/wisdom, Boern – OHG that roughly translates to 'warrior', ****Helm – OHG for mind/soul/life/person, Ward - OHG roughly translates to 'guardian'….****Matsuyukisou are the '_Warriors', Kokhabi are the __Guardians. You can obviously figure out what Ryuken is._**

************

nehu review if you wish

****

'til nxt time

AlMo


	14. Chapter 4 Part 3

**A.N: review and enjoy ~AlMo**

**

* * *

**

Thank You

_**Chapter **__**4; 3**__**rd**__** Part:**_

_**Shinigami & Quincy**_

_**Quincy & Shinigami**_

* * *

Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment; it was another meeting, more dire news, more explanations but nothing of his encounter…of his battle. Rukia was fine and unawares and would thus remain so. The scouting times were dissolved and instead training rosters and partners were devised. Rukia and the Ishida boy were partnered which was a better outcome than with that Ichigo Kurosaki.

It was decided, next Friday Soi-Fon would withdraw the Onmitsukido members present in Karakura Town and together with Urahara, Shinji and himself, return to Soul Society to present their case and hopefully receive full assistance.

To say he was in doubt was an understatement, the Sotaichou's opinion had always been strict regarding the Matsuyukisou – engagement against them was more than just forbidden it is treasonous!

Considering what he knew of them now…what he had experienced, Byakuya was not surprised; they had the power to topple Soul Society if they so wished it.

_The Army of Fate_ that is how the Sotaichou had always described them and everyone knows Fate is a b…is difficult.

Byakuya left the Shoten; Rukia was still with the other's training beneath, their teasing, shouting, and laughter were not settling well with him. They had no clue of course, as he agreed with Urahara, but he knew; he knew the truth, and their confidence and faith in one another was not helping him ease his anxiety. Ryuken would arrive at sunset and inform them whether or not an audience was granted.

If he would allow himself the luxury of expressing himself unguardedly, he would sigh in frustration and run a hand through his black locks; but he would never let his guard down even for himself; instead, his features if possible hardened even more into cold indifference. He allowed instead for the afternoon breeze to pass through his hair, its soothing chill caressing his neck.

With his muddled thoughts anxious and frustrated, he let his feet carry him away from the company within the Shoten, too angry with himself to focus his attention for a set direction.

* * *

Ulquiorra hesitated for a fraction of a second at the open door of Akira Tomoya's home. The Lake House, as dubbed by the Matsuyukisou community, beautifully designed and built by Akira himself. The large windows emphasized the feeling of being on the lake, as if you could feel the gentle tug of the current beneath your feet, the even larger deck that extended itself as a dock brought that feeling to the senses.

At the end of the 'dock' sat Akira Tomoya, his hakama rolled up over his knees, his legs submerged in the cool lake water, a bamboo fishing rod resting in one hand, the other hand holding an ever-present bottle of sake.

"_I looooove to forget  
This nightmare scenario…oh...oh  
This betrayal, this treason  
It's devouring my Soul_

_I love to forget you  
Forget __me… forget them  
forget this forbidden bond  
as it devours my Soul_

_F__orget meeeee… forgive me  
It's the only way  
To escape this Nightmare Scenario  
To forget that I love you  
To forget You're devouring my Soo…oooh…uuulll!"_ sang Akira off-key, off-tune, and drunk as usual.

* * *

The glare of sunlight momentarily blinded him, causing his conscious to return to his surroundings.

Byakuya found himself at his sanctuary in the Park, the raised embankment with the solitary cherry tree upon it. For a mere second anger flickered through his mind, anger that his unconscious sanctuary was one of loneliness even amongst company, as if mocking him that _this_ was his _true_ nature. That he could be amidst a crowd but ultimately he couldn't be more alone. A scowl escaped him in that second, disappearing so fast it was if it was never there. Only he knew of its momentary existence, which flared up his anger at himself for a moment longer.

He closed his eyes, sighing inwardly in defeat, he was alone in this, regardless of the others, those that knew the truth and those that did not, his inner mind was conscious of his solitude.

_Alone_

Opening his eyes, he walked down the embankment to where it met the shimmering water of the little lake, the other banks that lined the lake were relatively devoid of any humans, a few were walking along the paths eager to reach their destination before another heavy downpour. His gaze rested on the small waves on the lake, but he was not mindful of the scene, instead his mind was dwelling on his promise to Hisana.

* * *

"Tomi-dono," spoke Ulquiorra briskly, loud enough to be heard over Akira's (howling) singing. Ulquiorra was accustomed to the sight already; it was always the same song. Grimmjaw thought it was a hoot first time he heard Akira 'singing' it, to Ulquiorra it was a parasitic song, the kind that got stuck in your head, the kind you found yourself humming to unconsciously, or would start playing in your mind at the oddest of moments, the kind of parasitic song that Ulquiorra's own mind wasn't immune to.

Akira jumped from his spot, dropping his bamboo rod and bottle of sake, "ANRUI my boy," his voice boomed. Ulquiorra mentally sighed, wondering how Akira could be such a skilled angler despite his loud _antics_ whilst fishing. Akira grasped Ulquiorra by both shoulders, shaking him affectionately as he beamed widely, "So…how was it?"

Ulquiorra eyed Akira wearily; unsure of what exactly was being asked,

"Your training with your Kisshōten my boy; how was it to use your shinzui-yumi?"

"Need you ask," he replied, earning a wide grin from Akira

"It's only polite, I guess I could always ask your Kisshōten but I already have an idea"

"Of course you do, if only to avoid speaking to Kisshōten - you have never been within the same room as one another for years now."

"_Anyhow_..." shrugged Akira avoiding _that_ subject; "was it soul-torturing pain or just your simple run-of-the-mill pain?", he asked rubbing his chin adopting doctor-like inquisitive features.

Ulquiorra arched a brow; Akira Tomoya served Kisshōten-sama and despite the obvious aversion between the two everything Kisshōten knew so did Akira, so it was not surprising that Akira was aware of the 'training' he had with Kisshōten last night. Ulquiorra was puzzled about the rift, a natural clash of personalities or a discord due to something in the past, Ulquiorra however, was neither puzzled _enough_ nor curious enough to inquire.

"Soul-torturing then I take it…well I can fix that! Release your bow, my boy. I will give you 15minutes _only_ to injure me with your arrows whilst _I'll_ use simple kido. Succeed and you are one step closer to mastering your soul, fail and answer to Kisshōten on your return," spoke Akira seriously before grinning and firing, "Hado 31, Shakkahō!"

A jet of red energy blasted into Ulquiorra's chest, pushing him back. He twisted his body mid-air to land, his feet skidding along the dock until finally he stopped, his back whispering against the glass door of the house 20metres from where he previously stood.

Ulquiorra straightened, removing his hands from the pockets of his white hakama, without a thought he grasped his snowflake Quincy cross, the blade-like chain breaking easily from his neck, _"Bound in Demon blood, breathe into my arrows and shadow my bow,_ _**Gisei kara Tamashi**_," he intoned coolly, but Akira was not fooled.  
_  
_

* * *

Byakuya's solitude was disrupted by the sudden arrival of another; storm grey eyes met emerald green both not truly mindful of the other. A single nod of acknowledge was all that passed between them. Byakuya returned his gaze to the lake but his mind drowned in a never-ending stream of dark thoughts.

Rukia had been safe all along, it had been Aizen trying to sabotage his meeting with Kisshōten, but that could hardly shake the power that he had felt. If that barrier had not been summoned things would have gone differently, but ultimately_ would it have mattered_. Ryuken Ishida spoke of bankai and a hollow-self, if those Quincy's had only released their shikai, how much more powerful could they be at _full_ strength. How much more powerful would Kisshōten be…_he_ who possessed a fully realised zanpakuto as well?

As if the skies moved to his gloomy thoughts, a deafening rumble erupted above shaking the earth beneath. The rain fell heavily with a thunderous beat; it was like the sea was falling upon him. The coldness, heaviness…the sheer gloom of it he welcomed and would have continued to welcome if not for the sudden tug of his wrist lurching him off balance.

Her grip was strong, she ran quickly down from the small embankment, but she did not head towards the main paths, instead, she darted towards the trees, an old path still visible. Once in the thicket, her grasp gave way as the pathway became more apparent, the rain pushed its way through the branches, trying its hardest and loudest to penetrate through to them. A circular clearing gave way, in the middle stood a covered rotunda, old and paint worn, long forgotten by park goers but still standing strong. They dashed towards the covering, a heavy breath released upon reaching the destination.

Byakuya watched as she moved towards the middle of the shelter and knelt down, though he had not needed her assistance, he could have easily used shunpo to return to the Shōten or the apartment though that had not been on his mind then, he had wanted to stay let the rain soak him…drown him at his sanctuary. Instead, he was saved by her…consideration.

* * *

Ulquiorra's tired limps worked to bring himself to the surface, his lungs burning with the need for air. His breath broke just a metre before the surface; the cold liquid drowning his lungs, choking him, pushing heavily against his control. Finally, he broke the surface, reaching out to the dock for support, coughing and spewing forth water.

"Here my boy," spoke Akira calmly, extending a hand to pull him up.

Ulquiorra was not a stubborn person, but his pride in his own strength was injured. He tried to pull himself up, pushing against the post with his foot to aid him, but his body was too heavy, too tired, too broken.

"You are not weak, but your pride _is_ bruised my boy," Akira said gently, hunching down, his golden brown eyes rested on Ulquiorra, his tone mentor-like…fatherly. "Your soul may not be conflicted anymore but that does not mean you have **mastered** it, it only means that it is now _allowing_ you to do so…_if_ you are willing to take that dive." Akira grabbed Ulquiorra by the scruff of his jacket, hauling him effortlessly onto the dock.

Ulquiorra turned onto his back, avoiding Akira's gaze he stared up into the blindingly blue sky. He was no longer conflicted, logic was not his only reason anymore; he was not betraying his brothers, not truly. Sparing the target…sparing Rukia, would ultimately save them. He is betraying Absolute Order not the Matsuyukisou, he is betraying the Elders…but how could he master a soul that is not his own!

"You think too much my boy," said Akira, shattering through his chain of thoughts, "You are Ulquiorra Anrui Kisshōten, and you _will_ be King! You saw the Kisshōten Blossom; white and pink, it is a sign! The Throne is in question, and it recognises that there is two possible Kings. It knows your betrayal!"

Ulquiorra shot up, staring at Akira coldly, "I am **not**betraying Kisshōten; saving Rukia will save them all,"

"Rukia aye?" he arched a brow and fought down a cheeky grin turning away until sobering himself, "hmm yes, the Kuchiki girl. I knew her brother, Byakuya. He was just a child back when I was still a Lieutenant in the Gotei 13," a heavy sigh escaped him, he stood up staring out at the Lake that seemed suddenly cold, "I learnt a long time ago and have been learning ever since, you cannot save them all. If you must lose anyone, lose Kisshōten! The time_ will_ come my boy; choose your people, your brothers, choose the Throne!" Akira turned and walked away from him, towards his home.

Ulquiorra's eyes followed Akira's retreating figure, he respected the shinigami to the point he acknowledged him as a Mentor, but…

_Kisshōten_

Kisshōten; despite the foreboding cloud ever-present around Kisshōten, despite the ruthlessness, hidden-agendas, and secrets, Kisshōten is Kisshōten. Through Kisshōten, he now had a home, a clan, knowledge and power beyond Aizen's understanding, brothers-in-arms…a _family_.

_Family_, as odd, illogical, and unnatural as it sounded, it is the truth.

* * *

"Thank you," the words escaped him in a low murmur, startled by his voice her head raised and he was dazed by the pure emerald of her eyes sparkling at him, a soft smile of acknowledge from her came in answer. He moved towards her, slipping off his leather jacket at the same time, her eyes hardened, her posture stiffened, he lowered himself slinging his jacket around her careful to avoid touching her.

Realising his actually intention she relaxed, the warmth of his jacket instantly relieving the chill of her skin, "Thank You," she returned.

Pulling out a thermo flask from her bag, she poured the contents into the mug lid placing it on the floor in front of him in offering. She delved into her bag again pulling out her own mug-thermo, popped the lid and refilled the contents. She smiled gently at him before taking a sip, her hands clasped around the thermos holding it close to lips, gathering whatever warmth it offered.

Byakuya finally removed his gaze from her; she was beautiful, so beautiful it was sinful really. The pure grace of her movements was enchanting; he had watched as she poured his tea, kneeling as if performing a tea ceremony, her movements as fluid as the contents that escaped and repeated for her own flask. Her skin was flawless porcelain, her fingers long and dainty, simply manicured. Her lips naturally rosy and in a perpetual pout, her lashes thick and long, her eyes doe like. Her hair though soaked showed hints of its wavy self as it framed her face.

He lifted the mug to his lips; its aroma assaulting him instantly.

_j__asmine_

The taste was different from the tea he had sampled at Ryuken's office, there was a deeper note to it, familiar yet he could not quite decipher what. His eyes lifted to her, catching the small smile upon her lips. "Thank you", he spoke lifting his mug slightly to acknowledge the offering as her eyes opened and rested upon him.

She smiled genially and then began to laugh, "We have a very limited vocabulary it seems,"

Byakuya smiled slightly but warmly in return, "Yes, so it would seemed."

* * *

Ulquiorra reached for his Quincy cross pulsating steadily on his chest, _"_Kisshōten_,_" he whispered. A bright light encased him, a searing pain engulfing his body and then it was gone, taking with it the pain, fatigue and chill. He got up and covered the remaining distance to the house in a flash.

Akira greeted him with a pile of clothes tossed into his arms, "Get yourself into some dry clothes before Kisshōten beats my arse for allowing you to catch a cold."

It was an absurd statement, his system was immune to such trivial things, but still he complied, moving into a far room to change, the clothes were too big and too rough to his liking, he would have to return to his Quarters to change later

"How?" he asked upon returning

"You are a Kisshōten, linked to all other Kisshōten members, which in your case is only _your_ Kisshōten. Anyhow, the link creates a sympathetic-survival connection that you can activate when there is a threat to the well-being and thus notify other members, i.e. _your_ Kisshōten. You were heavily injured; you touched your shinzui-yumi in someway, so it sent help to its other Master, using your Kisshōten's reiryoka to heal you."

"Other master?...but my shinzui-yumi is different, it is _**Gisei kara Tamashi**_, Kisshōten's is _**no Tamashi**_"

"Just semantics boy, they are pretty much one in the same, they are twins," replied Akira with a hint of impatience as he rummaged through a trunk for another hook for his makeshift fishing rod. "And it is not _your_ bow that is different, it is Kisshōten's that is different, your father's bow was also _**kara Tamashi**_, your Kisshōten is the oddity…as usual!"

Akira Tomoya and Kisshōten were as different as fire and ice, their only common trait was their annoying habit of talking to, with and about him as if he were really a Kisshōten. As if he had been born into the clan and not adopted by Kisshōten-sama, as if he had always existed and knew every father, grandfather, third uncle twice removed…every ancestor of the Kisshōten clan.

"Why is Kisshōten's different then,"

"Why else," replied Akira as if the answer was obvious and the question itself silly. "Kisshōten isn't _**you**_ boy!" he found the hook and began pushing Ulquiorra towards the front door. "Now get out and explore the grounds while I fish us up something for dinner, Ill summon you once the grub is ready," pushing him out the door, "This may be your last chance to see the grounds like this," was Akira last words before he shut the door.

* * *

"It is beautiful, is it not?" she asked her gaze shifting to their surroundings before returning to him,

"The storm? Hmm, every man to his own"

"I'm in love with storms!" she spoke with a smile, "The thunder and lightning, the dark clouds, the rain, the wind; its like Nature's very own nightclub, where everything comes together as a sort of special effects, and the beat, the music of it all you can feel shaking through your feet and pounding on your skin. I find it beautiful and invigorating. But what I actually meant was the embankment, the Sanctuary I call it."

"The Sanctuary is very much a sanctuary in every sense, quiet and remote. And such…enjoyment in storms will lead to illness."

"Nonsense, it'll lead to a hot soothing bath, then a hot drink and good book whilst cuddled near a roaring fire…not to mention the silky wonders it does to my hair that no deep-conditioner could ever achieve," she rebuked, eyes twinkling in cheerful humour and as quickly as her eyes had alighted, they darkened with sorrow. "And I'm sorry you think of the Sanctuary as such; quiet yes, but remote never! It is removed from others, but it is not remote, not in the sense of loneliness. There are always others; in the distance but nevertheless there for whenever you wish to join them or let them join you."

He gazed into her eyes and knew she was right; he was not alone not truly. He had only to let them in, let himself in. "It is not always easy to be a part, even less to include others. Duty… pride have a way of holding oneself back."

She smiled sadly at him, "My Pride is my little brother, my duty above Duty is to him. Yet, even I must admit that all the times I find myself drawn to the Sanctuary, it is over of my duty, of my Pride. It is as if,"

"circumstances and my own self make me remote…alone amidst a crowd."

"Yes," she whispered in agreement and recognition, "my I ask," she hesitated, "you needn't say though,"

"My sister, my younger sister," answered Byakuya evenly, feeling a weight lift that he had not realised had been crushing him,

She smiled in acknowledgement, "your Pride"

_

* * *

_

Last chance

Once the Elders returned, and then his brothers, then the students for the summer break, there would be no quiet, no eerie peacefulness.

The most beautiful Spirit grounds that existed in the Living World, said to be cursed, though Ulquiorra could find nothing to prove such except that any born without Quincy powers could not return if they were to leave.

He turned left at the fork in the path, choosing to take the long way to the Manor so he could pass by the entrance border, unawares of the shadow that followed.

* * *

She finally returned to the apartment, the last rays of light had filtered through the rain clouds before finally giving way to the darkness of the night. She closed the door behind her, moving further inside, the delicious waft from the kitchen summoned her feet there.

A fresh batch of jasmine tea was being prepared over the stovetop.

"Tea, Kisshōten-sama?

She smiled and nodded in reply, placing Byakuya's jacket on the bench as she slid onto the kitchen stool.

**

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**

AN:

**The song that Akira sings ****is called "Nightmare Scenario" obviously, composed and performed by...Akira Tomoya DUH!, yeah I totally made it up, I was in that kind of make-up-ranDUM-stuff mood. **

**Kisshōten-sama is a WOMAN, yes indeed and this **_**was**_** planned from way before the beginning; she is the same woman in C2 P2 with Ryuken. There was a lack of gender pronouns in regards to Kisshōten so that was the only clue plus the italics when other Quincy's referred to Kisshōten as "King".**

**Akira Tomoya is an OC, my own creation of the previous Squad 13 Lieutenant, BEFORE Kaien Shiba; Akira survived the Shinigami-Quincy War and has been serving the Kisshōten clan since****. Oh and before anyone may ask No he does not have any Quincy abilities, he's a Shinigami, and No he does not have an inner-hollow either, just coz I said so. The song I made up, I couldn't be bothered finding an actual song to fit, plus I think that's not allowed right? nehu you know the drill**


	15. C5 P1: Concentration is the Game

**A.N: READ (_obviously!_) and REVIEW (_pwetty pweeze_)**

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**Thank You**

_**Chapter 5; 1**__**st**__** Part – Shinigami**_

**Concentration is the Game**

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oxXxo

After walking her to her door, Byakuya started heading for the Shōten, it was soon dusk and Ryūken Ishida had an answer to give. He felt lighter after speaker with her, after divulging all. Not all…of course, but everything concerning Rukia; his worry, protectiveness, his _Pride_.

She had divulged the same of her own sibling, a younger brother.

Their stories were near similar; a younger sibling with friends honourable and loyal but were the cause of much trouble, an uneasy relationship due to factors of duty, promises and over-protectiveness and even a past love that death had separated.

He told her of his promise to his wife upon her deathbed, the promise to find her sister and take her in as his own sister. She in return told him of her promise to her lost love, a man that duty, orders and tradition forbade her to be with; a promise to find his son, save his son, and protect him as a member of her own family.

A bond formed between them, a bond formed from _Pride_

xXx

* * *

xXx_  
_

Ryūken chose to walk the six blocks to Urahara's Shōten, aware that they would all be there, including his son, Uryuu. He was worried since the Elders had succeeded in organizing a meeting for Aizen with Kisshōten-sama; the meeting had ended early in the afternoon and Kisshōten had since been absent.

He owed more than his life to that woman; she had promised to call him for his next instructions before he left to the Shōten and yet nothing had come of it so far.

He glanced at his cell phone again, checking reception and battery life but all was fine; he growled loudly earning a few looks from passer-bys as he deposited the cell phone back into his breast pocket.

A sharp loud ring startled his nerves and calmed them all at once, "**Kisshōten**," relief evident in his voice

"Ryūken, after your stint informing the shinigami of his meeting return to the Dominion and ensure that Akira Tomoya is still within the grounds. I will have the twins taken care of by the end of the coming week; I need you to ensure Tomoya remains within the Dominion, he mustn't _leave_, understood?"

"Understood Kisshōten, but my hospital and my son; it will be suspicious if I were to be away for so long."

"I have already assigned a doppelganger from the Kokhabi Raiden to take on your role during your absence. He will be arriving at midnight; there will be a transportation butterfly ready at your office for you upon your return from the Shōten."

"And the arrival point for the Kokhabi?"

"The Kokhabi will come by butterfly at the northern train station to disguise their numbers within commuting traffic; however, Schiffer will be arriving by jet sometime in the coming week. I am certain he will be here prior to the twins' removal. Until then Ryūken," with a click the call went dead; he stared at the screen a moment longer pondering over his pending assignment.

With the cell resting back in the pocket of his shirt Ryūken continued on his way but the familiar lean form and stride of another, and the glint of the kenseikan against dark hair drew his attention. Byakuya was rounding the corner turning into the same street from a side alley, heading obviously to the Shōten as well.

"Kuchiki," he called out evenly, the shinigami noble halted and turned

"Ishida," he returned with an even tone, though his eyes had betrayed wariness. The Quincy drew even to him and they continued the remaining distance together.

"I am surprised," spoke Ryūken after a moment, "that you have not locked yourself somewhere for training."

Grey eyes glanced narrowly at the Quincy strolling blithely at his side, finally he spoke, "You may be a Quincy but you are still human, yet you wear a suit." Ryūken's attention snapped to him, "You are not old enough to sport white hair, so what did you do to corrupt your body?"

Ryūken returned to gazing absently at the street ahead, a bitter leer upon his lips, "I killed my King remember, at least the darker side of him; gaining the power for doing such does not come without its…side effects."

"Power you gained through the Matsuyukisou?" Byakuya baited

"My Mekkyaku-juji is a pentagon," answered Ryūken simply

"Not just a Quincy then but a Kokhabi Raiden,"

"Former," corrected Ryūken

"There is such" spoke Byakuya with the slightest note of sarcastic disbelief

"Why not, Kisuke and Isshin are former shinigami, why not a former-Quincy…former Kokhabi?"

"Urahara is entangled in Soul Society business in numerous ways, and Isshin Kurosaki has a shinigami-human son, there is no _'former'_, it is a life, there is no escape, and it cannot be ignored" he added pointedly, "…not for long."

"A visored-human son you should say,"

"A Visored-_Quincy_ son," Byakuya further corrected

"He is of Quincy _descent_, the boy is _not_ a Quincy!"

"Not yet, but he could be, couldn't he? He is of Quincy descent with the spiritual capability to harness a Quincy cross, he could be taught," spoke Byakuya, the hint heavy in his tone.

"Taught?" scoffed Ryūken, "Would you care to share with him that family lineage then, when he has yet to even learn of his true patriarchal line. Neither of which is _my_ responsibility to reveal. I would watch him closely though, once either truth becomes known. He has blamed himself for his mother's death, whom do you think he will blame _then_; his father for being able to but failing to protect, or his mother's line for allowing her demise?"

"You know Ichigo Kurosaki's lineage, all this could have been prevented, since you would have foreseen the extent of Soul Society involvement with him becoming a Shinigami,"

Ryūken halted, blocking his path, the Shōten stood ahead some 50metres, "He wasn't a Shinigami, not at first, not truly at least. Your sister provided the shape, until you cut it away. Initially there was no real threat for your sister would gradually regain her Shinigami powers. Kisuke's machinations however," his teeth gritted in anger, "created a different path that I did not foresee in time. When you left the boy to die, Kisuke made sure to be on the scene before I could _assist_. He took the boy straight to the Shōten, and I cannot enter the Shōten unless granted so. The fact that the boy sought and became a Shinigami, a Visored at that, was not within my _reach_ to prevent."

Over Ryuken's shoulder Byakuya noted Ichigo and Rukia step out of the Shōten and look towards them, he returned his gaze to Ryūken, "Of Shinigami-Quincy blood with Hollow powers...equivalent to your King"

"**OI!**" shouted Ichigo from the door of the Shōten, "We starting this or what!" Rukia smacked his head hard before bowing towards them.

Ryūken nodded to them solemnly then turned back around to Byakuya, "My King is the salvation of my kind, can you say the same from the boy" his tone mocking, and then he walked away towards the Shōten. A few feet ahead he stopped and turned to add in a voice almost anxious, "Isshin can decide when and _what_ he tells the boy, but _you_ must decide whether you want your sister anywhere near him afterwards, he's a _Visored_ after all, a Visored that has lost control before!"

Ryūken was well within the Shōten before Byakuya moved from his spot and slowly made his way to the small unassuming shop whose foreboding shadow loomed mockingly.

xXx

* * *

xXx

"Byakuya!" shouted Ichigo upon his entrance into the training area beneath the Shōten

"It's Kuchiki-sama to you Baka!" snapped Rukia smacking Ichigo's head forcefully, smiling and bowing in greeting to her brother though her eyes betrayed her concern over his delay

"Now that we're all here let us get started then, I'm a very busy business man with a demanding enterprise to run," spoke Urahara behind his fan

"As if, _we_ make up the entire customers of your 'enterprise'," scoffed Ichigo

"What place does my father have to be included in this meeting?" asked Uryuu in suspicion and worry

"Why he's the main reason and main guest of course!" Urahara answered, "As you all are aware of, Kensei, myself and Byakuya met with Dr. Ishida here to discuss the situation which has since been clarified as the Matsuyukisou and an audience with _their_ King was requested by _our_ very own noble," his fan snapped shut and pointed to Byakuya, and then unfurled in a flutter. "Your father here was to arrange such,"

"The KING?" blurted Ichigo and Uryuu at once, both shocked

Uryuu livid turned to face his father, "You spent your entire life telling me how _worthless_ it was to follow the Quincy path, and that the Matsuyukisou was a long dead past that Ojiisan had woven into silly fairytales! Which was just one big lie because _you're_ a Quincy, and you knew others like me existed, you knew _**they**_ still existed!" he shouted eyes glaring, and then they closed and he exhaled sharply, calming himself before saying with scorn, "and you _know_ enough to inquire for an audience with the King!"

Ryuken's gaze was blank, he expected as much from his son, and this was not even the pinnacle of the truth

Uryuu turned his attention to Byakuya, "You should be wary of my father, he's not on our side, never has been" he said simply

"Will an audience with their King even prevent a war with these Matsuyukisou?" queried Ichigo

"And Kokhabi," added Kensei

'Huh!' was written on the faces of the humans, except for Uryuu whose features spoke of shock, awe and finally settled on anger of which he directed at his father with a look of raging betrayal,

"If it comes to a battle, it will be against the entire Quincy forces, the Matsuyukisou assassins and the Kokhabi Raiden" elaborated Kensei

"Think of the Matsuyukisou Assassins as the Onmitsukido and the Kokhabi as the Gotei13," clarified Shinji, "This will be another Shinigami-Quincy war, of which we will take no part in."

"WHAT?" screamed Ichigo turning to him,

"Our enemy is Aizen, remember that Ichigo," replied Shinji

"We've got Legolas-like assassins stalking our asses, you can't just sit back!"

"We can and we will, and so will you. You're a human dealing with high school and the usual teenage human dramas, all of you are," he spoke turning to look at each of the humans present. Chad, Orihime, Tatsuki, Chizuru, and Keigo returned Shinji's gaze with a look of confusion on their faces.

"We're not though," spoke Keigo, "our dramas beside school and all is worrying about hollows appearing and worrying about each others' safety fighting them and all,"

"There have been no hollows for nearly a month now, no souls to cleanse; you should all be relieved your life can go back to normal," said Mashiro

"Normal?"

"As long as you continue as you are now," spoke Rose this time, "don't use your powers outside of the Shōten, they cannot and will not harm you; behave and survive,"

"Or act like idiot fools and not only get yourself destroyed but the rest of you as well" finished Lisa

"Yes well back to the real subject at hand," interrupted Urahara turning to Ryūken for his news

Rukia dared not look at her brother, she did not want the truth to portray itself through her eyes; she couldn't let him see that she _knew_ his audience with the King was approved.

Byakuya's gaze remained fixed on Ryūken's aloof face, he knew his audience had already been granted, why else would he have been spared from destruction, but he had to keep up the act. The humans and Rukia were expecting this, expecting for news on whether an audience was granted. He couldn't explain, _wouldn't_ explain that he already knew it had been.

"Kisshōten-sama has agreed,"

"YES!" shouted Keigo, jumping up and punching the air, everyone turned to look at him, "That means it all goods right? Straighten things up with the King and things will go back to what they once were, it's not like any of us asked for these abilities, but we can't just stop or give in, not when we can protect ourselves and others."

A sad smile escaped Rukia, Keigo was right, none of them had asked for any of this involvement but they continued because they wanted to help, because they could help. They grew stronger and fought to protect their love ones, and now they were being punished for it.

"I doubt it's as simple as that Keigo," commented Ichigo drily, "Since when has anything been as simple as that! So how's this audience thing going to go down, does he rock up here or are we banging down his door"

"A transportation butterfly will be sent to Captain Kuchiki tomorrow at dusk," spoke Ryūken turning to him, "only you may travel through. You will be transported to a secure Matsuyukisou ground, and"

"You've got to be shitting us," interrupted Ichigo, "you can't just expect Byakuya to go off without some of us backing him up!"

"It is Kuchiki-sama, numbskull," hissed Rukia

"For an audience with the Quincy King that is the only way it will go. The King will have one of his men present also,"

"Wait, so your pansy King is too weak to man up and show up all alone, tsch I should've known, afraid to get his ass whooped by flower petals is he"

"Ichigo Kurosaki," spoke Byakuya resting his gaze on the sub wearily, the boy folded his arms across his chest and glared back

"You could die," he said simply, though his scowl deepened

"As could you all," Byakuya replied evenly

"Eventually yeah, but I intend on fighting back, it's a trap Byakuya"

"This part of the battle is not yours to fight, the most necessary of battles are those without weapons" he turned then to Ryūken, "I agree to the terms of the audience,"

Ryūken nodded, "Wait for the butterfly," he then turned and left the Shōten escorted to the door by Tessai and Soi-Fon.

xXx

* * *

xXx

Tessai and Soi-Fon returned shortly, the atmosphere in the underground terrain not surprising stifling, Ichigo's scowl was deeper and darker, Rukia was strangely quiet, Byakuya deflective and Uryuu still peeved at his father.

"One of us should still come with you," spoke Ichigo

"That is not part of the terms,"

"Stuff the terms!"

"Eloquence and diplomacy may not be on your level of capability but as the 23rd Head of the Kuchiki Clan, and a representing Captain for the Gotei13 it is on mine."

Before Ichigo could say something not helpful Uryuu spoke, "Urahara must have some sort of tracking device or spell we can place of you; it would still be within the terms but with at least an assurance of your safety. You cannot disagree to that."

"They have a point," Urahara added, his fan and hat hiding his features from view, "besides I have a tracking device I've been meaning to trial and Tessai has a few revised tracking Kido too. Why waste such a great opportunity!" his eyes gleamed over the edge of his open fan, "and speaking of opportunity," his fan flicked out shooting objects towards each of the humans.

Ichigo caught his easily before it hit him in the face; the same could not be said of Keigo and Chizuru who were hit squarely between the eyes.

"What are these," asked Ichigo peering at it closely, "...promise rings?"

"Nothing so mundane, but why Ichigo," Urahara's fan and eyes fluttering in an oh-so annoying and creepy way, "are you trying to tell us your a sweet lil' virgin Ichigo-_kun_"

As quickly as Ichigo blanched he blushed red. Uryuu ignoring the idiocy carefully placed the ring on, a simple silver band that remained cold despite his body heat, "What exactly do these rings do?" he asked glancing up only to find himself and the other humans standing alone within the vast rocky underground terrain, besides the gigai presence of Byakuya and Rukia.

Ichigo was getting annoyed, "Will you SHUT THE HELL UP!" he shouted in the direction where Urahara was last standing, obviously Urahara has said something back but Uryuu heard nothing but Ichigo's ranting.

"Ichigo put the ring on," spoke Uryuu calmly, Tatsuki, Chad and Orihime looked closely at the rings in their palms before placing them on; Chizuru and Keigo then following suit.

Orihime's surprised gasp brought Ichigo out of his ranting; he looked curiously at his friends, whose eyes were wide in surprise, "What?"

"Put the damn ring on Ichigo," hissed Uryuu

Ichigo opened his clenched fist, the thick silver band ring lay cold against his skin, he looked up at his friends' faces before sliding it on, Urahara and Yoruichi's teasing was silenced abruptly. The silence was deafening and paralysing, there was no flutter of Urahara's fan, no gentle pulsing waves humming softly that spoke of the presence of the Shinigami and Visored present, and no sight of them either.

Byakuya and Rukia were within their gigai's and though he could see them, he could not sense their presence; their familiar pressure surrounding him was gone. The others he could not see, feel or hear their presence and yet he knew them to be there and not magically kidnapped away. Just to be sure though, he ripped the ring off, they glided into his sight as if they had always been there; the gentle waves of their reiatsu crashed softly against his senses, Urahara's voice carrying to his ears as the others removed their rings also.

"The rings cut off your reiatsu completely, which is why you could not see, hear or sense us with the rings on. It was a necessary step, the only step to take in order to hide Ichigo's _oozing_ reiatsu," Urahara explained, "other methods hide by exerting a negative energy to cancel out that which is released, since that wouldn't work on Ichigo this method instead guaranteed the results I needed."

"But...how?" Ichigo's voice croaked, it was strangely disturbing to have been so disconnected

"The ring is exerting a pulse that it is sending, a sort of electromagnetic pulse but on the spirit level. It severs the bond or energy that binds the reishii particles that make up your soul and body, and your reiatsu. The coldness from the rings is an overlying pulse that keeps your soul sleep and soul chain intact, keeps you body intact. It allows for the reishii particles to separate but draws them close enough to keep you whole."

"Whole?" Ichigo echoed, "And without that overlying pulse?"

"Well it would destroy you; the particles would disperse into the surrounding environment,"

"In other words it's kind of like what would happen if you were killed by a Quincy arrow," added Uryuu his eyes narrowed suspiciously,

"Okay," he flung his arms up as if surrendering, "maybe I did borrow the idea from the effect of Quincy arrows"

"It sounds pretty advanced to be just from the _idea_ of their arrows?" Soi-Fon hissed her eyes narrowing and hand grasping the handle of her zanpakutō tightly.

"That's because it is taken from one of their scientific journals," answered Yoruichi, all attention focused on her, Soi-Fon's eyes alighting with confusion, betrayal and finally setting on anger directed at Urahara as the cause. "Ukitake, Kyoraku and Unohana would be more familiar as the oldest Captains; I was just a child at the time when the Matsuyukisou Order and Kokhabi Raiden were allied with Soul Society. Some 400years prior to the last Quincy-Shinigami War the alliance had been renewed, resources and men shared."

"The majority of the hado and bakudo spells were first devised by the Matsuyukisou; some incantations were revised by Shinigami Kido masters and eventually lost their Quincy origins. The Matsuyukisou Order, the Kisshōten family in particular were...always have been in fact, the fore front runners in every field," Urahara added.

"This manual is a Kisshōten's isn't it?" inquired Byakuya

Urahara nodded in answer, "He never completed it; none of them did. It's more of a private journal in fact, that I was reading for well something _juicy_. I came across the passage during the Bount incidence but it has taken me quite a while to complete it. It was meant for prisoners and is just as good for this use."

"Wait," spoke Tatsuki this time, turning her attention back to Yoruichi, "_you_ said the alliance was _renewed_ right, so Soul Society and the Quincy were allies before then,"

"They haven't always hated and hunted each other, but nobles never stay friends for long, and two worlds aren't meant to share the same plane," answered Urahara instead, "Now you'll all be wearing those rings 24/7, do not take them off for whatever reason, especially you Ichigo. I'll finalise the tracking plan tomorrow," he added quickly before Ichigo could bring it up again. "Now," his tone signalling the end to the meeting as he snapped his fan shut, "move in pairs and groups, don't talk to strangers and those off you training here come here in a group straight after school"

"And now you can officially get lost!" Kensei added

Ichigo stared down Kensei but then shrugged his shoulders, placed the ring back on and headed out, the other humans and Rukia following suit.

xXx

* * *

xXx

The night was clear and starry despite the heavy clouds and rain during the day, Ichigo lent against the door, Chad sitting on the ground beside him and still appearing tall,

"Lay low?"

"For now," answered Ichigo; something wasn't adding up, they both could sense that a lot was being kept from them and the rest was yet to reveal itself.

"This time is different Ichigo,"

"Yeah I know," he replied barely above a whisper, this time was different because this time there was just so much about the enemy they didn't know, and they both kew that this time they had to play things smartly and quietly. He pushed off the wall as Uryuu finally walked out of the Shōten; Chad rose to his full height to greet the Quincy."

"We'll help you out with you stuff," spoke Ichigo meeting his weary gaze steadily

Uryuu sighed in relief and nodded in reply, falling into step with the two as they headed towards his apartment; he had no intention of staying in the same home as his father and was glad he was saved the awkwardness of asking Ichigo for a place to crash. To think that less than a year ago he had considered him an enemy, he had hated all Shinigami with a vengeance and now, now he wished that his own kind really were extinct.

xXx

* * *

**AN: YAY I updated! Nxt chap will be up nxt week! Guaranteed this time!**


	16. C5 P2: As A Shadow Lurks

**A.N: I'm sooo SORRY this is the proper version! Enjoy and review**

* * *

**Thank You**

_**Chapter 5; 2**__**nd**__** Part – Quincy**_

_**As a Shadow Lurks**_

* * *

Uryuu's room was stripped bare; clothing packed haphazardly into suitcases, books and other titbits thrown into boxes, his bedding stripped and thrown into the laundry. They left the washing machine running as they left the apartment, Uryuu sliding his car back under the door after he locked up. His father's betrayal was just too much, he was sick of the secrets, sick of his absence even when present. Uryuu did not intend to _ever_ return to his father's home.

At Ichigo's home, they dumped his belongings into the closet where Rukia's makeshift bed had once been. A bed was rolled in and Ichigo's room adjusted to make room; the desk was moved to under the window, a bed on either side of it. Uryuu grabbed his suitcases lying in the corner and kicked them under his bed, Ichigo dropping fresh bedding and a pillow at the head of the mattress.

The three boys looked around them at their effort, and left together again without a word, heading to the Shōten to drop off Chad who had been staying there since Byakuya and Soi-Fon's transfer to the Living World had been announced. The entire moving event had taken place without a word from any of the boys but now on their way back to the Shōten, on their way to separating the silence was broken by Chad.

"The journal belongs to their royal family,"

Uryuu's lips quirked, "Think you can get your hands on it?"

Chad nodded in reply, "I saw him toss it into the store room, its lying on the floor amongst the rest,"

Uryuu halted abruptly, his voice indignant as he resumed his pace "He has the personal journal of a member," he recalled the meeting when Urahara had mentioned plural and not a singular writer, "_members_ of the royal Kisshōten family and he just tosses it aside as if it's one of his zany inventions,"

"He created the Hogyoku and didn't mind tossing _that_ into a gigai for Rukia," spoke Ichigo still the slightest bit angry with Urahara for such

"Maybe the Hogyoku is another stolen idea," Chad commented

This time Uryuu and Ichigo halted mid stride, turning to each other at the same time, the thought that flashed through their minds the same, '_It was possible'_

"More than possible," Uryuu voicing his chain of thoughts, "I wouldn't be surprised," he muttered to himself as he adjusted his glasses, "The FOOL!" he blurted out loudly, striding pass them in anger

Ichigo and Chad picked up their pace to fall even with Uryuu who still muttered under his breath,

"Care to share,"

"Urahara is an idiotic, self-serving, stupid fool!" Uryuu spat out

"Ah…huh?"

"They're the Matsuyukisou!" he halted, yet again, turning to them his eyes blazing, "the Matsuyukisou!"

"Yeah we get it, Robin Hood Assassins that have fashioned themselves a monarchy,"

"Remember I mentioned their royal blood, that's what makes them different from any other Quincy. The first Matsuyukisou used their blood to bind their souls to their shinzui-yumi,"

"shinzui-what?"

"shinzui-yumi, their spirit bow, like your zanpakuto. Every Quincy is capable of achieving one, exactly like a shikai, once you discover your bows name. Since they bound their souls with their blood every descendent not only received the same spirit bow, but the soul of the previous carried forward too, and living members are linked to one another." Uryuu pinched the bridge of his nose; trying not to stress himself over something he had no control over, "It's what caused the first split and war between Quincy's and Shinigami. The Quincy's we are going to face have a bow that has lived and battled the past 2000years and has the soul imprints of every member since."

"And you didn't tell us this before because?"

"I suspect that Urahara and the others are already aware, since they know of the Kokhabi Raiden, I did not think it wise to alert Orihime and the rest since the situation is dire enough."

Ichigo exhaled sharply, "fair enough then, what about these Kokhabi Raiden, you were surprised about them," they continued walking, "what do you know of them, tell us _everything_ you know and we'll decide from there what to share with the others."

"They're like the Gotei 13 except there are 8 divisions that handle the rest of the world, the Atlantic, Central Asia, Europe, Africa, Mediterranean, the Northern shelf and the Asia-Pacific Region."

"Shit!"

"Actually no, there's not many of them, less than a hundred per division, well at least by my grandfather's tale which was on how things were _prior_ to the War. There is only 6ranks in each division, the highest rank is Lord; they also have hollow powers. The next rank is Captain; the remaining four ranks are Lieutenants. Most likely those in ranked positions would join."

"That's still some 50 ranked Quincy on top of the unknown Matsuyukisou assassins."

"The Matsuyukisou would be less than a dozen; it is very rare for there to be Quincy not descended from the 8families. Number-wise we've dealt with worse, and besides we faced off against the Gotei13 we can do this as well." Uryuu stopped, surprised to find himself a few metres from the Shōten, he turned to Chad's tall frame, "Retrieve the journal tomorrow and bring it with you to school," Chad nodded and walked ahead, letting himself into the Shōten.

"You're heading to your father right?" spoke Ichigo reading his thoughts

"My father's training grounds beneath his hospital holds a number of valuables that could be useful to me, you'll have to wait in the foyer but,"

"Go on without me," interrupted Ichigo, "And before you say anything I know that Urahara said to keep in groups and all, but with these rings," he waved his hand, the silver ring glinting against the street light, "it's not entirely necessary,"

"Ichigo you," Uryuu stopped himself from berating; as long as they remained in their bodies they could not be harmed. He also wanted to be alone and suspected Ichigo wanted the same, they could keep one another's secret. "Fine," he adjusted his glasses and watched as Ichigo turned and walked away.

"Ja ne," Ichigo waved over his head as he melted into the darkness.

Uryuu adjusted his glasses again and headed off towards his fathers' hospital, he liked to think of himself as more than fairly intelligent; his observations were proof, Rukia was keeping something quiet, a knowledge that concerned her brother and his pending meeting considering the way she fidgeted and avoided looking in his direction. Byakuya also harboured a secret that most likely was also concerned with his pending meeting with the King, and must be linked to Rukia – with the way he avoided look at _her_, and somehow also involved Ichigo – considering the way he calmly dealt with Ichigo's ranting, more calmly than his usual demeanour.

Then there was Ichigo; Uryuu could tell he was withdrawing, taking blame for the entire event. Uryuu knew he would slowly start to move away from them. Considering his training that Yukino would start tomorrow and the training, everyone else would be undertaking it seemed for the best that Ichigo withdrew into himself; for the only reason that it guaranteed he'd get stronger on his own.

vxvxv

ovxXxvo

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Grimmjaw adjusted the collar of his shirt, he rubbed at the stubble on his chin; eyeing his reflection in the mirror he raked a hand through his plain brown hair. Dark brown eyes stared back at him; his trademark grin was something that even a false-body could not erase.

Grimmjaw concentrated on the reishii around him, letting some of the false gigai slip away. The mirror reflected that oddity, half of his head showing his blue hair and azure eyes, strong angular chin free of stubble the other half was his false self, his _human_ disguise. Brown hair, brown eyes, and a plain face with the shadow of stubble decorating his cheeks; a normal face, neither remarkable nor memorable was his false self, his _gigai_; a face to blend in, to be forgotten.

He reformed the disguise around himself, completing the false image. What he had yet to master was changing his voice, he could never hold _that_ disguise for long; it required too much focus, too much control. Even Ulquiorra and Ashido could not master it, with Ulquiorra he thought it was more due to that emo-prince's inability to relay emotion in his voice, to sound like anything but a calm monotonous drone.

The Shinigami used gigai's, but the Matsuyukisou forever advanced had no need; instead they manipulated the spirit particles around them, making a false image, false body they could hide in, slip out of and change at will.

_Bloody brilliant Bastards_

The door of the bathroom swung and a human entered, bowing to him upon catching his gaze in the mirror. Grimmjaw smirked and nodded with as solemn a look as he could manage before leaving the private bathroom reserved for special patrons of the club.

The lighting was dim, the furniture showed class and screamed numerous dollars and were of surprisingly good taste. He headed towards the others seated around a low lounge that overlooked the dance floor and bar below. They sat on the VIP level, which had its own stocked bar, pretty waitresses and a small dance floor and stage.

Comfy leather couches surrounded a low glass table that was strewn with numerous shot glasses, bottle of expensive brandy and half-empty glasses. Seated there were the Uzume twins beaming brightly with good humour and too much alcohol and belting out a dirty limerick to the amusement of Ama Kangetsu who sat across them. Ashido was laid back on a single leather armchair, a bottle of sake in his hand and a grin on his face as Zora giggled away at the twins, his glass of whiskey splashing on his hands.

Grimmjaw couldn't keep the grin off his face as he headed to the table. Ama had arrived at the Planetarium not long after Ulquiorra had left, inviting himself for dinner for the sake of avoiding Jimo's concept of cooking. They all worked on dinner that was a jovial and entertaining event before settling into some sparring to pass the time and entertain themselves further. By the twins suggestion they found themselves heading out to a club, and thanks to Grimmjaw winning a bet, the bill was set on Ama's tab.

"You look awfully smug Kitty,"

Grimmjaw growled automatically at the nickname but was otherwise unfazed as he slid onto the couch opposite and eyed the man.

There was very few in the main Matsuyukisou force that Grimmjaw tolerated; Kisshoten-sama he had no choice besides the fact he begrudgingly owed her his life, Bosetsu was a bull – all muscles and ego blindly charging at anything red. Hatsuyuki he considered a blood-lusting torture-craving sadist, Sagiri was too quiet and his ability was too much like Aizen's for Grimmjaw to ever be comfortable around. Jimo, the only other female Matsuyukisou was a downright manipulative skank that knows what she has and bloody well knows how to use it; Grimmjaw avoided her like the plague for fear of castration. Fubuki was alright; Grimmjaw would even go so far as to say he respected the Quincy.

Then there was Ama Kangetsu; the guy was just too nice and friendly, his company easy to be around, he had no regard for rank or nobility, and for someone that's related to Ichigo Kurosaki of all people Grimmjaw found him more than bearable. Hikari, the Uzume's and Zora as the youngest members stuck together, and brought Ulquiorra into their little group and subsequently Ashido and himself, Ama was an occasional but welcome member. Ama was also the only one of the main Matsuyukisou that would join with their group, the others tolerated but never mingled with them for mere company.

"So you crash our place and eat our food, don't you have an assignment to waste your nights and days with?"

Ama laughed good-naturedly, "You're making the assumption I'm not doing so now, besides I've got the tab thanks to you, and I'm bloody sure we've raked up a bill to dent even my allowance."

"Only _dent_, bloody hell! More alcohol, we need more bloody alcohol!" shouted Sazanami

"Not the cheap stuff either, top shelf," screamed Isunami over to the bar, "top-shelf I tell ya! Climb the bloody beanstalk to get it if ya have tooooo!"

"Why don't you just raid heaven's cellar while you're at it aye," Ama added sarcastically, Sazanami turned his wide eyes on him, shouting out brilliant so loudly that Ama clapped his ears.

Isunami stood suddenly and they all grinned as he stomped off towards the bar to demand that they raid heavens cellar whilst they were up there, even offering to give a nearby patron a boost up the beanstalk.

That the patron was a very beautiful woman with full lips that would make any man grin silly and the kind of sharp eyes that could castrate a man with mere words. It came as no surprise to the others when the slap she dealt him echoed off the walls and sent poor Isunami flipping round to crash at the floor.

The laughter the ensued from them was loud enough to be heard over the booming music from the floor below.

It was Ama that approached the bar to calm the situation as the beauty looked close to kicking Isunami in the gut just for effect. The barmen bowed and apologised continuously, the woman merely eyed Ama's charming smile suspiciously.

"Apologies Mr. Winters, we will have her removed most immediately,"

The woman froze, she was more than just beauty she had bloody brains as well and she was smart enough to know that she may have made her biggest blunder ever. Before she could even consider bowing low for forgiveness, Ama waived a hand,

"Not necessary at all, just one big misunderstanding, my friend here has had ten to many drinks and mistook this lovely woman for one of the very helpful and efficient staff of this lovely establishment. There's no harm done at all I am sure," he stared pointedly at the woman daring her to attempt a lawsuit or media scandal and she shuddered visibly. Satisfied she got the message he softened his eyes and winked cheekily at her before grabbing Isunami around the shoulder and heading back to their seats.

'_Winters aye?' _beneath his disguise a blue brow rose sceptically, he knew Ama was posted under a false human guise, the reason why he was sharing living quarters with only Kasumi Jimo and bearing the brunt of her 'cooking skills'. To what end the guise served Grimmjaw didn't know but he did have an idea, after all Ama's role is as an integrative assassin; he befriended his subjects, spent time with them, gained their trust before they suffered at his hands and then were finally given their end.

Isunami slunked into his seat as Ama eased himself onto his own. The look of bewilderment played across Isunami's eyes, "I don't get it, dyu tink she don't like beans or sum tings?" he asked turning to his brother in all seriousness

"Possibly, maybe she's tried Kassie's chocolate and spinach bean sprout casserole!" he blurted out laughing.

Ama cringed and shuddered at the thought, "She bloody well had _two_ bowls of the stuff!" he blurted eyes wide with disbelief and horror, "She's evil I tell you…EVIL!"

"As _evil_ as her bacon wrapped mushrooms on sticky black curry rice pudding?" supplied Zora innocently causing another wave of shuddering horror to run through Ama

"No I must say her caramello shark-fin banana fritters sounds the worst," spoke Ashido this time, a grin on his face as he saw the agony on Ama's own.

Ama clutched his head trying to stop the memories of her 'meals', "the horror!", he shuddered again to the amusement of the others, "AHA!" he bounced off his seat suddenly, pointing to them all with a look of smug triumph, "Kassie invited you all to _dinner_ tomorrow, be there," he narrowed his eyes at them all, "or answer to _her_!"

It was officially their turn to shudder and they did, even with the hundreds of years in the Menos Forest, facing off hollows, Ashido had never faced a monstrosity like her cooking. Isunami groaned, clutching Sazanami's shirt and begging him to do him in now, whilst Zora shook his head in denial muttering aloud that he was too young to die.

"Come on now," Ama spoke trying to not sound jovial at the prospect of sharing a 'meal' with them – i.e. making them suffer his daily plight. "Be a man you guys, you just have to get past the cringe slash spasm worthy first bite and resist the urge to throw up whilst trying to not turn every shade of green and you'll be fine."

"Actually," spoke Zora hesitantly, "I'd rather take her on in…in _combat_," he couldn't keep the shudder out of his voice there, "than deal with her cooking!"

"I don't know…I don't **know**," repeated Sazanami, "I **don't**_know_!"

"She's sooooo evil! Eat her _meals_ **or** _combat_ her! There's no **lesser** evil, which just makes her _more_ EVIL!"

"Try being her fiancé," commented Ama dryly. This comment snapped them out of their thoughts and drew their undivided and eerily quiet attention to him, "WHAT?" blurted Ama, freaked out by their wide stares and quietness in the pulsing nightclub, "It's pretend! Just PRETEND!" waving his hands frantically

"Thank God!" blurted Sazanami

"Bloody poor-bastard-of-a-goner you would've been," commented Isunami. They shared a look with one another before all bursting into laughter; the merriness was back as was the dirty limericks

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The signature white-cherry blossom trees rimmed the perimeter of the Matsuyukisou Dominion, grown close together and integrated with numerous Ginto spells that made the trees the most impenetrable wall.

The official entryway into the Dominion was a magnificent sight. A traditional wooden bridge ascended over a shallow circular pond, breaking off into two bridges to curve around the large solitary white-blossomed tree that grew on the little islet in the middle of the pond. The perimeter ran through the point at which the bridges reconnected before descending to the other side.

Beneath the solitary tree, on the little islet in the middle of the shallow circular pond that shimmered under the curved bridges, Ulquiorra sat. The starry sky reflected itself upon the shallow pool

Any other would have called it his favourite spot, to Ulquiorra it was the most logical spot. None, at all, attended to the area, of that he was certain. All kept their distance ever since the Shinigami-Quincy War. Even when the Uzume twins had sought him out on numerous occasions, they had never drawn near to the Dominion's entrance. It was sacred in a sense, to the point of being taboo; there was fear intermingled with awe, the entrance had been the place of the near demise of the Matsuyukisou, of the Quincy's as a whole. The entrance signified their survival at the cost of so many lives, so many souls.

Regardless of the others, this was his abode where he was guaranteed privacy…guaranteed peace.

Not this time though, after some hours sitting he stood up to leave not bothering with a parting look; he stepped onto the stone path hidden just beneath the water's surface and prepared himself to return to Tomi-dono's home. His progress, however, was halted; the chain of his Quincy cross broke from his neck on its own accord, slipping down to drop into the shallow depths of the pond. He bent down, his hand reaching in to retrieve it, but instead of brushing against his shinzui-yumi upon the waterbed, he brushed nothing but empty water.

Ulquiorra removed his arm, pondering over what he knew and could see; the pond water was crystal clear, the shallow pond under an arm's length in depth. He could _see_ his shinzui-yumi sparkling through the glistening water. He reached in again, his arm delving deeper into the pond water, his eyes never leaving his shinzui-yumi, at just a hairs width distance he grasped again, and again claimed nothing. His quick movement had shattered the watery image, _an illusion_, his ever-working mind deduced; the kind of illusion that could deceive even _his_ eyes.

_Tanmou?...No_

The third attempt proved to him that an illusion was not responsible, not when he grasped the chain and felt himself falling forward due to the weight of it. The chain wrapped around his wrist tightly, his body broke the water, the shallow depths becoming an endless ocean

of water as it dragged him further down, deeper and deeper, darker and darker away from the twinkle lights of the night above. He fought against the chain, trying to blast it off, even blast his arm off but to no avail; it clung tightly to his entire essence not willing to withdraw its hold.

His breath eventually broke, the cold water flooding into his lungs, the pressure pressing against his eyes and skull. He fought against himself, fought to keep his eyes open against a sheer darkness that if not for the sting of the water he would have thought his eyes closed.

This wasn't a battle he could win and as his eyes betrayed him and closed against one darkness to welcome another, one person flashed across his mind

_ Kisshōten_

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**AN: Sori about the previous version of this chapter. I forgot to take of track changes, and click final document with changes, so naturally it took everything including the thing i had deleted or cut out. Nehu this version should definately make more sense. I only just checked it on my story backup! lukily too.**

**Reviews, questions or suggestions are welcome**

**And even flames considering my BIG blunder  
**

'**til nxt time**

**AlMo**


	17. C5 P3: The Road to Destruction

**A.N: Long chapter I think. Enjoy and review**

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**Thank You**

_**Chapter 5; 3**__**rd**__** Part – Quincy**_

**The Road to Destruction**

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"Please can we just go somewhere else, how about that jazz club, I've always wanted to go there,"

A brow arched, "What happened? Did someone give you attitude?" manicured hands clenched in anger, 4inch high stilettos, stepped towards the club entrance

"No...I...I was waiting at the bar in the VIP level when some drunk started yelling to the bartenders, I wasn't really listening and all, it was just idiocy to me but then he came over to the bar and said something and _then_, then he said to me that he'll give me a leg up the beanstalk or something like that,"

"FILTY BAKA" "BASTARD" "PERVERTED ASS", blurted her three friend enraged, they turned towards the entrance attempting to march their way in and beat some VIP ass, but she manoeuvred quickly and stood in their way.

"It's fine, _really_! This is me remember, I slapped him hard, so hard I'm certain he pirouetted a bit before hitting the ground," a triumphant smirk could not help but tug at her full lips, "It's just, it turns out the guy was there with a Winters!"

Gasps and whispered expletives was the reply she received this time, the mention of such a prominent and powerful name deflating her fiery friends, and satisfied her that they could now leave without further drama but it was then...over the shoulder of her friends, that she saw him.

Carrot orange spiky hair, that was the first thing she noticed, then broad shoulders; tall, clad in tight black jeans, a chain hanging from the hip of his belt. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of a dark leather jacket, on the right shoulder a silver crescent moon with a dark wave crashing in the hollow of the moon. He scowled in a way that she wouldn't be surprised was permanent, and his eyes – his eyes cut through the darkness and were of such a warm brown that she knew, she knew instantly

_Winters_

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He was standing in the shadows for only a few moments. A few moments to determine if there was any way to get in, or whether he should just turn back or worse continue on his way and find another club. The music though, barely audible from the street was hypnotising, drawing him in, begging for his presence.

Beating his way in wasn't an option, this wasn't a street club; it was a club for the young and rising middle class as well as the wealthy brats of the city and beyond. The Bouncers weren't just muscle, there was skill behind there even if it was only from street fighting, and if that failed the tazer-gun and baton strapped on their side sure helped. Smooth talking his way in wasn't going to happen either because of the stupid long line and because he was missing boobs, a short skirt and revealing top to be able to pull off that act.

He shouldn't have come out but sleeping was out of the question, and just staying awake at home wasn't an option either; not with everything running through his head, not when all he wanted to do was just shut it out, beat it out, drown it out. So he made the choice to go for a walk, and unconsciously get dressed up for the walk, and even more unconsciously to head directly for the inner city for this 'walk'.

In the few moments in the shadows when he realised all hope was slim, his great hearing and their own inability to speak in whispers gave him the key he needed. He hadn't meant to, but by catching the gaze of the young woman, the way she eyed him with that surprise and the sudden stiffness in her stance told him enough. _Fate works wonders sometimes_

He nodded to her and walking around her and her friends headed straight for the entrance; those in line eyed him with suspicion and growing irritation as he drew closer to the door.

The Bouncer sensing something was up turned around, he moved to step around him but the Bouncer crossing his beefy arms over a steroid enhanced chest blocked the entrance with his frame, "An' Hu Da HELL D'yu Fink _You_ Are, Aye?"

Ichigo held his gaze, noting the smugness of those in line and the baited breath of the woman before, he loosened his scowl and with a face of neutrality replied smoothly, "Winters"

An eerie silence cut through the crowd, the Bouncer's eyes bulged, and stumbling clumsily, he moved out of the way muttering his apology and a stuttered welcome.

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'_So much for laying low,'_ the corner of his lips quirked.

"Mr Winters," a voice called from ahead, a man dressed in a suit, a peacock coloured scarf at his neck and what looked to be a PDA in his hand gestured for him. Ichigo's steps faltered for a second before heading straight to the man as he relaxed his expression again. He nodded slightly when he finally reached the man, the hallway breaking off in two different directions; said man borrowed ridiculously low Ichigo couldn't help but smirk. "Welcome sir, welcome. I can personally escort you to your _brother_," the slightest questioning in his tone, "and his friends upstairs in our VIP level," gesturing to the right where two large Bouncers clad in black suits stood guarding a staircase.

'_Shit'_

Ichigo was saved from answering thanks to the giggles of two leggy model-like girls passing behind; they swung their hips a bit more and coyly looked over their shoulder at him satisfied he was eying them up, but it was their direction that had Ichigo's focus, he noted the lights and pumping music at the end of the hallway they were heading down. It also helped that a certain _real_ Winters was not down that way.

Ichigo returned his attention back to the peacock man, satisfied with the suppressed grin on the man's face, "I think I'll stick to the floors," he answered with a fake but convincing grin of his own. Rukia wasn't the only one that could act!

"Of course, of course!" fluttered Mr. Peacock, beaming brightly, "Enjoy your night sir," he bowed extravagantly again. Ichigo nodded and walked away, suppressing the urge to run.

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There was nothing interesting on the floor below, his false identity meant eying up girls was a no-go zone so he never bothered to glance down, but the flicker of orange at the corner of his eyes caught his attention enough to let his eyes linger.

The boy stood at the entrance-way, clad in dark clothing, hands in the pocket of a jacket, with his orange hair standing out clearly even in the flickering lights of the club.

The boy looked to be eying the place closely, eyes roving over the large circular dance floor two steps lower, the tables and stools rimming the dance floor, and the bar on the opposite side of the room. _His_ eyes lingered on the far corner where through a glass wall the staircase rose to the VIP upper level; following the stairs and roving over the level that overlooked the floor below _his_ gaze casually flickering over the shadowed occupants sitting closest to the glass railing.

For that briefest moment, when the boy's gaze had passed over, Ama was certain, despite the distance and the coloured lights flickering, he was absolutely certain that the boy's eyes are exactly like his own.

_Hello little cousin_

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Grimmjaw and Ashido looked to each other, having noticed the same thing, the spark in Ama's eyes. They noticed his attention suddenly drawn away from the bubbling twins and to the floor below, noticed his focus, noticed his gaze intently watching something, _someone_.

Grimmjaw couldn't follow his gaze without looking suspicious but Ashido could easily, and it was the surprise in his eyes and the warning he communicated silently to Grimmjaw that informed him.

_Ichigo_

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Ama watched intently as Ichigo made his way through the dance floor, the dancers parting to allow him an easy path towards the bar.

"You coming or what!" bellowed Grimmjaw, snapping Ama's attention away from the person below.

The Uzume twins and Zora were already standing; arms slung over each other's shoulders with Zora in the middle, they skipped their way over to the stairway. Grimmjaw and Ashido stood over him, a look of warning in their eyes.

"I think I'll stick around," he answered with a grin, their eyes narrowed at him

"You cannot hurt him," spoke Ashido

Ama stood, dusting off imaginary dirt, and pulling himself up to his full height of 6'3", "Fate has spoken and brought the kid to my door, so to speak, _I'll_ do as I please. You two better get going, I believe the twins pilfered the car keys,"

Grimmjaw smirked, "You really **are** related to that brat...tsch...still spouting that Fate bullshit aye, Fine! Fate may have led him here, but it's Kisshōten you ultimately answer to so _I_ suggest you don't act too much like the dumbass that you are and screw things up for the kid,"

Ama's eyes narrowed, usually he and Grimmjaw got on pretty well, but where Ama and the other Matsuyukisou placed a lot on the Fates, Grimmjaw couldn't give a shit, and it was _that_ very attitude that Ama couldn't abide. He could name many instances to prove the machinations of Fate but Grimm-kitty still wouldn't believe. Fate brought the kid here, even if it didn't abide by Kisshōten, _**Fate**_has spoken, so nothing else matters. "Planning on squealing like a pig, Kitty dear," jeered Ama

Grimmjaw's smirk became much crueller, he stepped closer to Ama, glaring at him and then settling on a smug grin he spoke, "The only reason the kid has lived at all, let alone this long is 'cause the old man was smart enough to stay away! You wanna screw all that up then be my guest; you'll be signing the kid's death warrant by the end of the coming week." He walked away then stopped at the top of the stairs, "Don't be surprised if you're called for _that_ Order! Fate can be a warning just as much as a beacon, Ama"

Grimmjaw and Ashido departed leaving Ama fuming but that lasted for just a second and then settled deeply into anxiety, he walked closer to the edge, leaning over the glass railing. In the flicker of a moment Ama's eyes became a dazzling emerald shrewdly eying Ichigo standing at the bar, then in that same second returned to his warm brown gaze flecked with worry.

"Fuck!"

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Ichigo watched amused as three guys skipped their way down the VIP stairs,

"What'll it be, Ginger," asked the bartender

Ichigo withheld a scowl, he was thirsty and needed a drink, water seemed silly to ask at such a club but the last thing he needed was a hangover, one because he doubted he could hide it from Uryuu and two it being school tomorrow and the first official day for training. But hell, he screwed up the whole lay low thing by just being out, stuff it all, "Whiskey dry, your finest Scot will do," he replied sliding onto the stool

"Uhuh and how you gonna pay for that aye?"

"Just put it on my tab,"

"Oho the boys got a tab aye, what's the name then?"

"Winters," replied Ichigo coolly, keeping his eyes steady on the bartender, and like before bulging eyes was the reaction, the bartenders gaze shifted away and far behind him and whoever's eyes he had caught had obviously signalled to him that it was fine.

"Whiskey dry it is Mr. Winters!"

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The chilling night was refreshing as he stepped out of the club

"Ah Mr. Winters, I hope you and your friends have enjoyed yourself," called a voice from behind

"We have thank you," Ama replied stiffly, he rubbed at his eyes; he _had_ enjoyed himself, until Ichigo had walked in and everything just crashed with Grimmjaw's parting words. The opportunity to get to know his little cousin was right back in the club, but Grimmjaw was right, this time Fate was warning...warning him to stay away, and he would, he owed the kid that much.

"I trust you saw your _brother_, I believe, he arrived just a few minutes ago in fact," he held his breath, hoping the young man he had spoken to and had approved of when the bartender had glanced his way was indeed a Winters. "He's at the lower bar in fact; I just approved his charge to your account sir,"

'_Brother? He's using my name of all things, how the hell did he..._ Ama couldn't help the smile that spread across his handsome face, _Fate!_ "My brother **really?** he's here? I wasn't aware," he slapped the man on the shoulder, grinning even more widely for him, "thanks for that, I didn't think he'd be able to make it out."

"Oh yes...I," stuttered the man, "no problem at all sir, you're younger brother? I take it sir?"

He should just leave now, but hell, what if Fate was warning him to watch out for the kid, at least tonight he knew without a doubt they were not enemies. Tomorrow? Tomorrow hadn't happened yet! "Yeah, my kid brother," _Ichigo...no he wouldn't use his own name, _"Zangetsu; spiky carrot top right?" he replied with a cheeky grin,

"Ah yes, orange hair yes that's the one, his eyes were the giveaway sir, you have the same eyes!"

Ama's grin grew wider, "Aye, the kid couldn't escape me if he tried," he left the relieved man on the steps of the club and headed back inside, turning left towards the pumping music.

Fate was on his side tonight, he was certain of that much at least!

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"You Winters aye?"

Ichigo tore his eyes away from the dance floor, and swivelled on the stool to meet the gruff voice that had addressed him. The bartender was an older man, winkled with age and sun, built like an army colonel with intelligent eyes sharp as knives.

"Yes,"

The man grinned in a way that was not comforting, "So _you're_ Eliot Winters then aye, nice to meet the man finally!"

Ichigo wasn't fooled, _nice try old man_, "Actually, I'm not," he faltered for a fraction of a second, "I'm Zangetsu Winters,"

"Zangetsu aye? You Eli's brother then,"

_Ama_

'_huh?'_

_Say you are Ama Winters' brother; you're using my name boy, you can take my advice as well then_

"I don't know any Eliot Winters, my brother is Ama Winters," Ichigo answered, holding the old man's piercing gaze.

A smile broke over the older man, his features relaxing, "Aye Ama Winters, pleasure to meet you then Zangetsu. I know your brother well, fine young man he is, I hope one day I can say the same of you," he held out his large tanned hand, wrinkled and calloused by hard work,

"I hope for the same," Ichigo replied with a smile that did not reach his eyes, _what am I doing Old man Zangetsu_

"Hey there," a pretty girl with large blue eyes smiled, fluttering her eyelashes at him, "dance with me," she grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the bar and through the dancing crowd towards the middle of the dance floor. Ichigo was grateful to get away from that genial bartender, get away from the guilt of fooling him. He let himself get lost in the music, the loud bass booming under his skin, she twirled and sway in front of him, giggling away to herself as the lights flickered and changed around her.

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"Where's the others?" Zora asked as shook himself awake, the jeep rumbled quietly down the street, streetlights passing in a blur at their speed,

"Grimmjaw left to buy some Sake,"

"From that shop beneath the Northern Train station, they've got the best sake, Tomi-dono's favourite too." A silence followed as Zora tried to piece together information through the drunken haze of his mind, the twins loud snoring breaking the silence, "Grimmjaw doesn't drink sake though, he's buying for Tomi-dono then?" he peered out the window, eyebrows furrowing in confusion, "That makes no sense though,"

"How so?" inquired Ashido taking his eyes off the road for a moment to turn to Zora, but Zora had fallen off to sleep again, adding his own quiet snores to the noise in the jeep. Ashido shook his hand, and turned on some music, blasting it loud to drown out their snoring, the three didn't move or wake, totally dead to anything beyond their own drunk-induced dream world.

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Grimmjaw sped down the street, weaving the bike through traffic, and cursing under his breath, "Stupid Ichigo, stupid Ama...che...Bloody Idiotic Family the lot of them! Fuck Fate!" He turned sharply into a dark side alley, parking at the end underneath the platform stairs. A rumbling noise came from above as a train slowed into the station. Grimmjaw pushed against a blackened door, the windows dark with grime, the tinkle of a bell was heard above his head as he stepped inside.

Grimmjaw calmed at the familiar sight, the warmly lit room smelt like incense and jasmine tea, an old man jittered through a beaded doorway,

"Oh yes Mr. Jaegerjacques, come, come sit, sit." Grimmjaw dropped himself onto a stool beside the bench, the old man tottered around and brought out a small black box from one of the cupboards, ", Mr. Jaegerjacques will like what Mr. Miso has; Mr. Miso found good, found good oh yes," he slid open the lid of the small box, grinning widely at the former Espada,

Grimmjaw whistled low, "You've done bloody good Miso, bloody Damn Good!" He picked up one of the items, holding it in the light, his eyes glinting with greed before taking a deep sniff of the rare and very illegal cigar, "Beauty," he whispered, grinning like a cat at his prize. He put the cigar back in the container, sliding the lid closed, and placing it into an inner pocket of his jacket, "You have that sake I order as well Miso,"

"Oh yes, Mr. Miso has the sake." He opened another cupboard, and lifting the small crate with weathered bony arms that held more strength than they seemed, carried it over to Grimmjaw, "Mr Miso got four bottles here. Sake the way Mr. Tomi likes."

Grimmjaw grinned his cat-like grin, "Good work Miso, Tomi-dono will be very grateful for these,"

"Oh yes, though Mr. Miso hopes Mr. Tomi will not be too sad when they breaks,"

An eyebrow arched, head cocking to the side, "Break?"

"Oh yes, Mr. Miso see bottles breaking, see Mr. Tomi breaking,"

"Can't be!" spoke Grimmjaw, disregarding the veiled warning from sinking into, "Tomi-dono loves his sake way too much to let any bottles break, of that I am sure Miso; bloody Shinigami won't even let a drop slip past him"

"Mr. Miso see what Mr. Miso see, but Mr. Miso has been wrong once before, maybe Mr. Jaegerjacques is right and not Mr. Miso,"

"I can tell you now that I am," he spoke confidently, "And _this_ is for you." Grimmjaw laid the tiny jar down on the bench, and watched as Miso's eyes gleamed with childlike joy. Though the old man still had the strength to rival a rhino, he lost his speed long ago, and could no longer enjoy his greatest of hobbies,

"Pretty pretty butterfly for Mr. Miso," he opened the jar, and the butterfly fluttered out, settling on the old man's shoulder like a parrot to its pirate captain, "Mr Miso very grateful again,"

"Sure thing, 'til next time Miso," he lifted the small crate easily and headed out the chiming door,

"Oh no, no," he muttered sadly as the door chimed closed, "Mr. Miso does not see so," the elderly man's eyes glazed with sadness for what he could see to come, but then lightened just as quickly after all he had a new butterfly and guest to still attend to. "Come, come butterfly, back to Mr. Miso's guest," he tottered through the beaded door with the butterfly fluttering softly at his shoulder, "Mr. Miso is back," he spoke jovially manoeuvring himself onto the low pillow and pouring his guest another cup of jasmine tea.

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There are perks of using someone else's name, especially if that name comes with the easy respect and reverence offered, _and_ a tab at the bar.

It all happened pretty fast, one minute they were dancing, the music drowning out any and all thoughts from his mind. But it was hot, and his thirst was returning, and wearing a leather jacket on a crowded spot lit dance floor wasn't the smartest thing. The random girl was pulling him back to the bar; he managed to shrug his jacket off and hand it over to the bartender, a young guy, the old bartender was serving at the other end. She thrust a glass into his hands, and he sculled down the cold liquid without a second thought, hoping it would cool him down. It tasted too strong, and metallic, and had his mind spinning in no time. He was hot, and his mind was now on fire too, he pulled at the collar of his shirt.

"Can I get water; it's way too hot in here," the random girl giggled at his side as the bartender grinned and handed him a glass, he sculled that down but didn't feel much relieved.

"Let's get some air," she tiptoed to 'whisper' in his ear. He nodded, he was in agony, he was too hot, his mind on fire, his eyes on the verge of exploding, he could feel them throbbing in his sockets. He looked to the bartender in desperation but the young man read it differently what with the pretty girl clinging onto Ichigo's arm; he tilted his head to the side, his eyes communicating a hidden door. Ichigo hurried to the wall, his body falling heavily against it, the hidden door inched off the walling, allowing him to slide it away. He hurried through, bolting straight for the fire exit door, pushing against it he stumbled into the dark alley, the chilling night stinging his eyes, freezing the sweat on his skin and making him feel sick.

"Oooh Javo I think you overdosed him," she cooed, she leant on her knees her head cocked to the side as she fluttered her eyes at him. A tall man clad gruffly in a casual navy suit stepped out of the exit after her, the door closing heavily behind him, shutting out the club music with a deafening silence.

"Che so the Winters kid can't handle a bit of _fire_ aye, should've laced it with more," he cackled to himself,

"Eh Javo don't be silly, you can't get a ransom with dead bait remember,"

"Not unless they don't know he's dead aye," he cackled again maniacally and she joined him with her own giggles.

Ichigo saw the punch coming, the man's stance wasn't right so he knew there couldn't be much strength in it let alone sped, but his body was in shivers and breaking out in cold sweat though it was still raging hot, and his eyes were still on fire, pulsing in their sockets. He couldn't move, couldn't defend himself from this weak sicko and his psycho girlfriend. His left cheek felt the cold impact, he lost his balance stumbled back and hit his head against the alley wall.

Along with the perks of using someone else's name, there are also the pitfalls, this is beyond one; it was a black hole!

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**AN: ICHIGO (i.e. ZANGETSU WINTERS i.e ICHIGO KUROSAKI) GETS DRUGGED! & he drinks whiskey, its sounds manly & all. I ain't for the dark stuff, white spirits for mi. Mi dad's the whiskey fan, i should've paid more attention to the bottles he gets but oh well.  
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**Yeah it's diverted quite a bit, pretty much a Kangetsu chapter – had to split it up sori. The next half of this chapter will be up within a week.**

**Can't remember what colour's Ichigo's eyes, besides being brown or are they hazel, nehu they're 'warm' brown (whatever that means) like Ama's. **

**P.S. Ne1 interestd in being my critique soundboard?  
**

**N. Reviews are appreciated.**

'**til next time**

**AlMo**


	18. C5 P4: Lessons in Life

**A.N: WARNING: There is quite a LOT of swearing in this, sori, its mainly Grimm's pottymouth, his **_**'french'**_

**Enjoy and Review**

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**Thank You**

_**Chapter 5; 4**__**th**__** Part – Quincy**_

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**Lessons in **_**Life**_

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_Where is he_? His eyes quickly roamed over the occupants around the bar as he crossed his way through the dance floor, his gaze fell on Hitaka, the older man signalled back to the dance-floor. Ama turned, eyes darting over all the dancers, looking for that unmistakable orange hair, but no sign. A sinking feeling began to creep its way into the pits of his stomach, he ran off and searched the tables circling the dance-floor. Women flirted and smiled, trying to catch his attention but his focus was on an orange haired teen that was nowhere around.

_Fates let him be alright_

Ama hurried, pushing his way through the crowds to the bar, "HITAKA! My brother! The kid he's,"

"Zangetsu?" interrupted the man, "Not around? Maybe he left,"

Ama was too panicked in that moment to fully comprehend the luck of Fate that the kid had used the same name as he had predicted, not that it was much of a guess it being the boy's zanpakutō name and all. "He can't have left," he grounded out, "I just came from the entrance, he couldn't have passed me,"

"He may have headed to the upper level then," Hitaka answered, nodding towards the VIP lounge that overlooked the ground floor,

"NO! I was just there!" he belted back, the panic in his voice and worry written all over his face made Hitaka realise this wasn't just some drunken overreaction, Ama was sober and serious!

"I..." stuttered one of the young bartenders,

"Speak Up BOY!" demanded Hitaka,

"Heslippedoutbackwithagirl," he answered in a rush, "say 5minutes ago," said the young man nervously,

Ama bolted to the wall, pushing it free with his palm and sliding it away, he kicked hard at the outer door, loosening the top hinge off.

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"I think we'll get quite a pretty penny outta _you_ boy, no doubt a **lot** of pretty penny's if your brother pays up aye," he leered into Ichigo face chocking him as he lifted him off the ground and up against the alleyway wall. Ichigo felt his breath fade, his boiling eyes straining against losing consciousness, white spots were appearing in his vision. In the distance a loud bang and then he was falling, a strong hand stopped his knees from hitting the ground.

"Steady there Master Zangetsu," the familiar voice of that colonel bartender drifted through his fire crazed mind, Ichigo tried to answer but his throat felt raw instead he screwed his eyes shut against the pounding in his head, "Take it easy; you're safe now, your brother is here." Hitaka tilted Ichigo's head, noting his dilated pupils, "Drugged," he surmised, "Fire Ice! You'll just have to pull through it kid, no other way,"

"Oh dear," came the familiar voice that belonged to the Mr. Peacock club host man. Ichigo's eyes sprang open, Mr Peacock stood in front of the now unhinged emergency door, the young bartender from before had the woman in a strong grip he looked to Ichigo with sorrow.

"Sorry kid I didn't mean to; I thought..." he shook his head, "Sorry!" Ichigo nodded in return; they were both fools.

"Handle them before I kill them myself," growled a voice in the darkness, a body came flying, landing with a groan at Mr. Peacock's feet. A tall man stepped from the shadows, fury engraved on his face, his fists stained with blood.

Ichigo realised then how easily it had been to impersonate a Winters, the man was foreign looking and had the same eyes as him. Above the broken door the neon red lights of the fire exit sign cast an ominous haze over them, making the man's hair look like dancing flames.

"Oh course Mr. Winters," answered Mr. Peacock hauling the bloody and injured man from the ground and turning back into the club, the bartender with the girl followed turning into the narrow hallway between the club and outer walls.

"Be easy on the boy, Ama" warned the older man as the man named Ama turned his fiery gaze on Ichigo.

Ichigo pulled himself up to his full height but the other man obviously still towered over him. Zangetsu had been right about the name but he couldn't even fathom how at the moment; the scruff of his shirt was grabbed; he was jerked forward then slammed back into the wall roughly. The guy was gonna call him out; Ichigo could see the debate in his eyes. Yeah the guy and the old man had just saved him, but he had used the guy's name, bloody hell he had posed as his 'brother', and as believable as it looked, he doubted said man would let him get away with it. _Shit_

"AMA!" growled the older man, but the young man paid no attention, his jaw clenched and eyes ablaze.

"Fuckin' Hell kid!" he shoved him into the wall again, "First FREAKIN' Rule in Life: DON'T FUCKIN'! ACCEPT ANY FUCKIN'! THING FROM FUCKIN'! **STRANGERS!**" he roared into Ichigo's face and pushed off him.

Ichigo blinked partly from the ringing in his ears and partly because of his own disbelief. The guy, named Ama turned to the old man standing behind him who was shaking his head and chuckling softly to himself; "The boy's been dosed with Fire Ice, d'you have to make it worse for him by blowing up his eardrums?"

"HELL YES!" Ama answered, he stepped back from Ichigo and rubbed at his eyes, if he hadn't turned back the kid would've been...he didn't want to think about it. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and let the relief set into him, "Hey Hitaka d'you mind not telling the missus aye?"

Hell he couldn't have Kasumi find out, she'd burn his ass and inform Kisshōten and the Elders of his stupidity, "Kassie would have a fit if she learnt he got into trouble 'cause _I_ coaxed him out." Now as scary as his fake fiancé is, she didn't even amount to the fear Kisshōten instilled. His own grandfather would be at his throat, beside the other Elders' own natural inclination, and again the boy's life would be ruined because of him.

"Aye, of course; quite a fiery fiancé you've got, damn scarier than mi own wife I tell you,"

Ichigo couldn't believe his ears; the guy was covering for him, what the hell? He had to be hallucinating or something, it had to be the drug in his system and the stinging in his ears that was doing this. Damn it; if he wasn't drugged up he could've high tailed his ass outta here long ago and avoided this confrontation.

"Che you should try her 'cooking', I'm scarred for life," The old man's booming laughter echoed off the alley walls. "I'll _take care_ of Zan here," Ama thumbed his hand to Ichigo still slumped against the wall behind him.

"You better boy! Don't make me contact your grandfather over this, he'll have you both in the shit you hear, and I'll be helping him if need be! You got it?"

Ama stiffened at the mention of his grandfather, of _their_ grandfather, "damn," he muttered under his breath that the old man's sonic hearing picked up,

"What was that?" Hitaka bellowed warningly

"A Yes...Sir!" snapping to attention and mocking a salute, Hitaka shook his head in amusement and grabbing the broken door, slammed it shut behind him as he headed back to work. Ama turned around the moment Hitaka was gone; Ichigo still leaning heavily against the wall and eying him suspiciously.

The kid looked like shit; his lips were bluish with cold, his body raked with shivers, cold sweat drenched his skin plastering his orange hair onto his forehead, his eyes dilated and blood shot with the look of agonizing pain behind it all. _Damn it kid,_ mentally he was shaking his head at the predicament, on the outside however he relaxed his stance, plastered a fake but convincing cocky grin on his face, and lit up his eyes with the closest imitation of arrogance, "Eh is that anyway to look at your _Nii-sama_; especially when said _Nii-sama_ just saved your ass!"

"Stuff off!" Ichigo replied pushing himself away from the wall and staggering for the street up ahead,

"No chance in Hell, brother...Zangetsu? is it," Ama grabbed the kid's upper arm to support him, "I said I'll take care of you didn't I," and he took off striding down the alley, dragging Ichigo with him.

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'Beep' 'Beep' 'Beep' 'Beep' 'Beep' 'Beep' 'Beep' 'Beep' 'Beep' 'Beep'; it all came in quick succession.

"Please tell me that's a good thing" spoke Shunsui Kyoraku, Captain of the 8th division, in timid cheerfulness as he gazed up at the large screen in the Comm. Room of the 12th division. His Lieutenant Nanao Ise watching worriedly at his side as multiple little bright spots popped onto the screen of the magnified map of Karakura Town's northern district, each beep signalling a new spot before it faded just as quickly as it had appeared

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! **SHUT** **UP!**" screeched Mayuri

"What's going on?" asked Captain Jyuushiro Ukitake entering the room and coming to their side, his eyes widened as the 'beep' sounds continued and the short and sudden flashes of small bright spots appeared in the same location on the screen.

Then silence an eerie silence, save for Mayuri's ranting; "No no no no NO! Bring it back, bring it back FOOL!" he screamed at an attendant, smacking the poor man on the head and pushing him off his chair, Mayuri sat typing quickly away at the keyboard, the map on the screen expanded, zooming out, trying to find the source. His scream reverberated in the room as he smashed at the keys, the large screen now showing a flat view of the Living World.

"I don't understand," spoke Nanao quietly, turning to her Captain, "What's happened?"

The two best-friends shared a look of dread, "History I'm afraid my dear Nanao...history!" answered Shunsui solemnly

"We must be certain, we must be certain you fools!" Mayuri screeched, his gaze burning into the nearest attendant, the nameless attendant ran to the data that had been running, series of coded data printed on long sheets, he scrambled through it trying hastily to compute the number,

"Fifty nine," spoke Nemu in monotonous conviction

"Fifty Nine?" "Fifty Nine?" "Fifty Nine?" echoed the three captains present, baffled at the number

"The Kokhabi have their own King - a Lord General with his own Zero-division: a Commander General as his second and Counsel Commander's reigning over each of the eight districts," clarified Unohana serenely from the doorway where she stood with Isane at her side. "That explains the extra 9; their Lord General it seems, has yet to arrive. I will notify Yamamoto, have your data ready for presentation within an hour Mayuri,"

"Yes yes," he waved her away, moving to another – not broken – station to type away at,

"Captain?" she asked worriedly as they left the 12th division, his solemn face unsettling her

"Have my best clothes pressed and ready for after the meeting Nanao dear, I think I'll drop by home tonight, chat with my folks and all," he said turning away from her, and using shunpo he headed off with Jyuushiro.

Nanao was distressed; her Captain only returned home for his parents' death anniversary, laying a wreath and talking about the year's events. Even for the Winter War showdown her Captain had not shown the solemnity he had showed just now, even then he did not see the need to visit his parents' grave for _one_ _last_ _talk_.

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They'd long since made it out of the main city centre, Karakura Park was close in the distance, but the guy's grip was strong, and his strides were forcing Ichigo to practically jog at his side if he wanted to keep his arm in its socket and not be ass-dragged down the street. He couldn't take it; he'd had enough, "Damn it! Just SHOVE OFF!" he pelted, pushing off Ama's strong grip only to stumble onto his ass, "I can handle myself, my dad's got a clinic. I'll pay you back for what I owe you." Ichigo stood unsteadily and dusted himself off with as much composure as he could muster,

"Uhuh, while dad was definitely quite medic-smart, he's got no clinic unless you plan on visiting him in the afterlife, and you ain't got it _that_ bad if it's that kind of melodrama you're talking about,"

_What the? _"I ain't your brother," Ichigo grounded out

"Too right you ain't; just imagine that, brothers Ama and Zangetsu Winters, the freakin' poetry in that is enough to guarantee a life-subscription of fangirls! The Winter brothers; Heaven and Moon Cutter – sounds like a Cowboys & Indians tale, don't you think?"

"You can't be serious," Ichigo looked at him as if he was crazy,

The edge of Ama's lips quirked, "I'm not, just like you're not my kid brother like you said; are you even called Zangetsu?" he wondered if the kid would reveal his real name,

"My name's Ichigo," he spoke with a challenge sparkling in his eyes,

"Ichigo aye?" commented Ama watching a scowl appear quickly on the boy's face, "Are you really? 'Cause considering the way you look at the moment, you more like need an Ichigo,"

"Are you trying to be funny?"

"No, just serious; your name means 'he who protects' or 'prized guardian angel'," the boy's scowl lifted and he could see that he was impressed, not surprising too, what with the kid's hair colour, it was easy to take a different more obvious meaning to it, "I know 'cause my grandfather's name is Ichigo," Nothing but interest sparked in the kid's eyes which meant he really was clueless about his Quincy lineage.

_Our grandfather_

"Listen here Ichigo, you can head home and explain to your father how you've got an illegal drug in your system, a drug that a lot of youngsters these days are getting off on,"

"No shit?" he interrupted, baffled that there was idiots out there that wanted to feel like this,

"Yeah, I don't get it either! I don't know your father, but you look like you're still in school, and I know there's school tomorrow, I also know the spring break is the following week, so unless you don't mind being grounded for that holiday I suggest you let me help you. We're here anyway," he gestured to the building across the street,

Ichigo turned to the building, recognizing it immediately; his eyes bulged, _NO WAY!_

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"HOLY FUCK!" Grimmjaw cursed slowing his bike as the traffic light blinked red and the pedestrian bell rang out. Two vehicles in front of him the crowd burst onto the road, mostly passengers from the train station, but amidst the crowd he spotted a tall figure clad in a long corduroy navy jacket, black cowboy boots and was that a freakin' Van Helsing hat he had on. Besides the questionable get up was the unmistakable pentagon emblem, well disguised within a chrysanthemum design on the shoulder patch, but obvious to Grimmjaw eyes.

_A Fuckin' Kokhabi Raiden in Karakura_, but before the traffic light returned to green Grimmjaw realised there wasn't just one! The majority of the crowd passing were Kokhabi Raiden! In some tiny way they wore their pentagon emblem disguised amidst other patterns, a hair clip, a bag pattern, a freakin' crocheted beanie. Some were even bolder; using instead the flower emblems of the Gotei13 along with the assigned Division number and colour - all within the Gotei13 rhombus symbol.

Some were in pairs, some in small groups, and others by themselves; some dressed up as if they were going to hit the town, and others dressed like they had just finished from a late night at the office, even had suitcases and freakin' paperwork in hand. Some were disguised in touristy getups, others as inconspicuous locals, a few just stuck to dark, mysterious and stay-the-hell-outta-my-way looks. There was even two _obvious as hell _Kokhabi because of their attire; one was wearing a long white wig dressed like a shinigami with a freakin' Captain's haori, the other also dressed as a shinigami, but with a straw hat and draped over his captains uniform what was obviously a woman's kimono. _Fuck they've got balls_, he watched with the slightest of smirks as the twin men dressed as Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku of the Gotei13, casually made their way to the other side of the street, totally oblivious of the looks they received from other commuters.

There was over two dozen of them, and though Grimmjaw couldn't sense reiatsu permeating from any of them, he could **smell** them, that subtle hollow scent that only other hollows could detect.

_Fuck it's starting!_

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Ama pushed the double doors open, the lights flickered on revealing a large circular communal bathing room; through the glass sliding door Ichigo could only see marble walls and ceiling. The glass door slid open for them, "Welcome to the catwalk," Ama commented of the raised walkway they were on, a dozen shower spigots on either side and at the far end numerous bathing tubs built in the ground. Ama strode over, walking around the empty bathing holes, grabbing a towel in one cupboard and a number of what looked to be coloured bathing soups and bottles of stuff from a small pantry in the corner. Adjusting some levers and knobs he tossed the soup bar thing and emptied the bottles into a nearby tub as it began to fill, and grabbed a small stool as he walked back to the dumbfounded Ichigo.

"Okay, take a shower to get the grime off you and cool you down," he placed the stool down and dumped the towel on top, "the tub there should be full and ready by the time you've finished, it'll shut itself off once full. If you go back through the glass door and take the left it'll lead you to the changing rooms. I'll leave you some fresh clothes there; you can just chuck your own down the laundry chute."

"What was that you put in the tub?"

"It'll help against everything you're feeling right now and the side-effects you'll feel once the drug wears off," and with that Ama walked out leaving Ichigo to himself.

Ichigo tore off his clothing walking down and under the closest shower head; water sprayed down instantly on him, he could almost feel his skin sizzling with the contact, steam rising into the air around him.

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"Where the FUCK is ULQUIORRA; damn emo-bastard fuckin' taking off without a fuckin' care!" bellowed Grimmjaw, slamming open the door of the kitchen. Ashido sat at the bench, a coffee in one hand and a cigar in the other, a maroon eyebrow shot up at Grimmjaw. "The Kokhabi are here, all those fuckin' ranked bastards are HERE! And Ulquiorra's still out!"

"Are you certain?" asked Ashido calmly,

"As certain as Kisshōten's and Tomi-dono's hatred," he grumbled, plonking himself down heavily on the stool opposite and stealing Ashido cup of coffee,

"Not good!"

"My _edited_ sentiments exactly!" he growled out in frustration, sculling the remainder of Ashido's coffee.

"All we can do is wait for Ulquiorra's return," spoke Ashido gravely

"I know," Grimmjaw said quietly, rubbing at his eyes in frustration, "We'll need more coffee then," he sprang up from the stool determined to busy himself through the long night.

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Through the ceiling windows was a greyish dark outside, _early morning_, he must've been asleep in the tub for quite some time, enough that his hands were still slightly wrinkled. Ichigo hugged the thick jumper closer to ward off the pre-dawn chill, his breath floated out in a white cloud in front of him. He slid the door open quietly, he couldn't resist exploring the place a bit; when he was little he had wanted to be a part of this club, they only accepted the best, not even money could guarantee you a spot.

A club for only the greatest of protectors his mother had commented, and it was because of this that he had tried so hard at his karate club though Tatsuki made him cry, _a lot_. But his mother was always proud of him, and he wanted to be the best, to get into this very club and make her even more proud of him. That dream died long ago but it was still nice to finally get a look at the place, and worth sneaking around; the training room he was in was huge, like a mini auditorium, and only one of many. He wandered to the centre, spinning slowly around as he looked up at the glass ceiling, the morning stars twinkling away above.

"Are you warm enough," the voice ripped through his quiet contentment, Ichigo swivelled around quickly spotting that Ama guy standing at the door way.

"I use to want to go here, get in and all," he spoke to break the silence as the guy stepped further into the large room and tilted his head up to the grey morning sky. "A few years back my sisters and I got in, we were at the park and Yuzu was busting to go toilet but, well it was a hot summer and the park was crowded with families and some kid's birthday party, so the closest place was here,"

"You actually got in?" Ama asked not taking his eyes off the twinkling stars slowly disappearing,

"Yeah, Karin banged at the service door and busted in the moment it was opened, guy had no choice really since Yuzu bolted straight through too," a smile slowly crept its way onto his face, "and then she saw a butterfly,"

"A butterfly," repeated Ama, still keeping his eyes on the sky,

"Yeah, when she was returning to us; a butterfly of all things inside this locked down building. She went after it, and Karin went after her, and of course I went after them both. We got as far as the entrance hall before we were spotted and kicked out, chasing a butterfly didn't sound very convincing to them," he chuckled to himself,

"There's more right?" Ama asked, taking his gaze away from the sky and looking at Ichigo, seeing his bemused smile through the semi-darkness,

"Yeah, as we walked away I turned back, and there was this old man standing at the windows on one of these upper levels and I swear he had a butterfly flying round his head like a halo," he chuckled shaking his head softly,

"Miso"

"Huh?"

"Old man's name is Miso, crazy but brilliant old coot; always has a butterfly with him. He's a member here but only comes by during the weekends for lunch," answered Ama fondly

"So he _is_ real, and a member aye?" he sounded impressed

"Yeah he's stronger than an ox, can snap your bones with just his skinny wrinkled hands, and I've seen it done when one idiot swatted his butterfly," Ichigo's eyes widened in horror though Ama couldn't guess at what precisely, "You said you use to wanna go here, what's changed, you too good for the place now"

Ichigo face shifted instantly, his eyes now wistful and sad, "It's hard to get a membership here, you're selected by skill and all, even if you won all the country tournaments it still doesn't guarantee you a ticket in. You need more than skill; this is a club for only the greatest of protectors right? I...I wanted to... just to make my mom proud," he managed a small smile, "it doesn't matter anymore,"

'_greatest of protectors aye? che...you have no idea.' _The guilt rose up tightening his throat, "Let's go kid," spoke Ama after a long while; Ichigo merely nodded casting one last look at the training room before following him out.

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"He should be back by now! It's fuckin' five in the morning, hell even the twins are up-&-at-'em," spoke Grimmjaw frustrated as he paced the floor in front of them. The Uzume twins, Sazanami and Isunami, waved their hands at the mention of themselves up; they pinched their nose and screwed their eyes preparing themselves for the awfully tall glass filled to the brim with the juice of some hideous fruit.

"Grimm, stop pacing you're making it worse," groaned Isunami closing his eyes from the dizzying blue traipsing to and forth in front of them

"STOP FUCKIN' STALLING AND SCULL THE FUCKIN' THING ALREADY!" he boomed back at them and then continued pacing back & forth. They grimaced but complied, shivering in disgust after the last drop.

"Kisshōten-kun must still be at home, he's probably just having breakfast with Tomi-dono. Give it another hour,"

"Another hour? The fuckin' Kokhabi have had the entire night to set their shit up, he should be back by now, since when has Tomi-dono not known what the fuck's going down, he would've sent Ulquiorra back by now,"

"Unless Ulquiorra isn't with Tomi-dono," said Hikari upon entering; Ashido having relieved him from his post over the Inoue Apartment, "maybe he's with Kisshōten-sama now or even facing Aizen."

"Rewind please, you mean the Kokhabi are here, in Karakura Town here, and not like waiting on the outskirts here,"

"And you call yourself my twin!" Sazanami said amused, "were you not listening to Grimm's loud and _endless_ ranting about them, or is his hair just too distracting to our muddled mind,"

"It's just _soooo_ blue!" Isunami stretched out a hand, his eyes wide in wonderment, Grimmjaw scowled annoyed that none of them were in the least bit concerned, did they not believe him?

"The fuckin' Kokhabi are here, _all_ of those ranked fuckers and NONE of you are even batting an eye about it. The FUCKIN' CAVALRY is HERE! WHAT PART of THAT! do you NOT FUCKIN' COMPREHEND!" there were moments that highlighted the difference between himself and these Quincy, this was obviously one.

"The fact that a meeting hasn't been called yet means that the Lord General hasn't arrived yet, since Ryo ain't here then we've still got time," spoke Zora groggily, "...somewhat," he added,

"How much time?"

"'Until the end of the week, time was never on our side anyhow,"

"Trust me to walk into another FUCKIN' WAR!" roared Grimmjaw, this got the twins smirking, "Che...Now whose up for a big hearty OILY breakfast! Bacon, eggs, onions, fried tomatoes, and buttered mushrooms on potato-hash,"

"SHUT UUUUUPPPPPP!"

"_**Smothered**_ with maple syrup and yoghurt,"

"URGH! STOP! STOP"

"Not forgetting some hot bread smothered with butter and crème fraîche and ALL watered down with a glass of *noni, raw eggs, and skim milk!"

"Urgh!" "I think...I...urgh...MOVE!" "_Evil smurfian bastard!_" Three very green looking figures dashed out of the kitchen putting their best hirenkyaku to use and racing as far away from their blue-haired nemesis.

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The walk home was a silent one but surprisingly not awkward, a silence where two individuals were comfortable in one another's presence, on the way he had accepted a *bougatsa, simply explained as a pastry despite the obvious, it was delicious, thought it was dusted with sugar but with a minced meat filling, accompanying the on-the-go breakfast was strangely enough, jasmine tea. The oddity of jasmine tea served at a foreign bakery certainly struck him but the strength of the tea helped to wash down the richness and sweetness of the pastry, so he didn't complain.

The front entrance was bi-passed and so they walked along the street along the side of the house, the street wall running underneath his bedroom window,

"This is me," he stopped, pointing up to open window, the other man halted and eyed the window, then setting down his cup at a safe distance on the ground he hefted himself easily onto the wall,

"I'll give you a leg up," spoke Ama looking back down at Ichigo's bewildered face, "there's no way you could make that jump kid," he explained, _No way a normal kid could make it, if you were a normal kid and I was a normal man thinking that your normal too._ Ama was so use to playing 'normal' from his other assignments, it frightened him how easy it was to pretend with his own cousin, his only slip was about _their_ grandfather and honestly that wasn't a slip at all,

_Of course, normal people don't make jumps 10feet high and 3feet away, _"Yeah thanks," Ichigo placed his now empty plastic flask on the wall and pulled himself up.

"Leave the evidence," Ama commented nodding to the plastic cup, he knelt on way knee, locking his hands. Ichigo placed his foot on it, "Ready, set...GO!"

He was launched straight into his windowsill, his bed and even Uryuu's obviously not slept in, he hoped into the room, Ama was already crossing the street, two takeaway mugs in his hand. "Hey," Ichigo called in a loud whisper, Ama turned eying the orange head at the window, "Thank you,"

Ama lips quirked in a half smile, "No problem kid, we're _brothers_ after all," he replied with a grin. Ichigo watched him leave until he rounded a corner, Uryuu rounding the same corner towards the house. He caught the young Quincy's eye, their gazes locked for a moment, a moment that was long enough to communicate

_I won't ask if you don't_

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**AN: I used what was mentioned in the anime to translate Ichigo's name; in the fight against that gate guardian giant Ichigo explained his name as first prize and 'go' for guardian angel. And I'm not sure if it was his dad or Urahara that said his name means 'he who protects'.**

***noni – it's a fruit, scientific name is morinda citrifolia, also known as the beach mulberry, but here in the pacific region it called noni. The fruit turns almost white when ripe and has a really strong smell. Not surprisingly its also known as the cheese fruit or "vomit fruit", but it is really REALLY good for hangovers! Just a glass or shot should do, but if you take a shot daily or so prior to a big drink up, you'll last longer! Not that I'm advising that!**

***bougatsa – greek breakfast pastry, it's really nice, I prefer the ones with custard but it also can come with minced meat, with sugar over it!**

**Kind of rushed the ending part, but I want to get this thing rolling so forgive any errors or just plain wrong word(s).**

**I'll squeeze out the 'Audience with the King' in the next chapter. **

**Reviews are appreciated**

'**til nxt time**

**AlMo**


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